Ingredients
For the Falafel:
- Dried chickpeas – 1 cup soaked for 24 hours (this will give you 3 cups after they have soaked)
- Small red onion – 1 (roughly chopped)
- Garlic – 3 cloves (minced)
- Fresh parsley – 1 cup
- Fresh cilantro – 1 cup
- Cumin seeds – 1-1/2 tsp
- Coriander seeds – 1-1/2 tsp
- Cayenne pepper – 1/4 tsp (or to taste)
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
- All-purpose flour – 2 tbsp
- Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the tahini sauce:
- Tahini – 1/2 cup
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
- A pinch of salt
- Water – 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Now drain the chickpeas and rinse them over thoroughly, you will probably have around three cups of soaked chickpeas now.
- Since it is a huge batch let’s work in two batches, drop in half of the chickpeas, garlic, parsley, cilantro and onion into the food processor and then until you get a paste which holds together when pinched, transfer it into a bowl and blend the remaining ingredients.
- Dry toast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds until fragrant in a small skillet.
- Grind them using a mirror and pestle until almost smooth. Add it into the chickpeas mixture along with some flour, lemon juice, salt and baking soda and give it a quick mix.
- Cover the bowl using plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for an hour.
- Take a heavy bottom pan filled with vegetable oil and let it heat up to 375 degrees.
- Make golf ball size falafel balls and fry them until deep golden brown. This might take a minute so stay there and get it fried.
- Drain them in a plate lined with a paper towel and get the remaining done.
For the sauce:
- Take a bowl and whisk tahini, salt and lemon together.
- Tahini will begin to get thick and dry this is normal you can add water little at a time and it will loosen into a creamy thick pale grey sauce.
Notes
- Yummy crispy falafel is ready to serve. You can serve it on a salad with some lemony falafel or pile it up with some lettuce, tomatoes and onions in pita bread.
- If you are planning to bake the falafel here you go, make 2-inch round patties, place them on a nonstick baking sheet and bake the patties at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Flip them to the other side and brush some olive oil and bake again for another 15 minutes.
- Note when you pop the mixture out of the fridge you may think they are loose and might split but they will hold perfectly.
- Remember that the oil is at 375 degrees and you fry only a couple at a time. If you drop in a lot then the temperature will drop and the falafel will disintegrate and you will hardly have anything there.
- They are gorgeous and not compacted. It is lovely. Why don’t you try them yourself?