How To Cook Falafel At Home: Tips And Recipes

Among the inhabitants of Israel, falafel is so popular that it has become an unspoken symbol of the state.

Among the inhabitants of Israel, falafel is so popular that it has become an unspoken symbol of the state. And this can be understood, because falafel is not only tasty, but also very nutritious. So, it will be useful to know how to cook this vegetarian dish. 

 

Falafel Cooking Secrets

Falafel are deep-fried balls of chickpeas with spices. 

The basis of the dish is mashed chickpeas or chickpeas (shish peas). In addition to the usual spices, it would be good to add finely chopped parsley, cilantro or dried coriander seeds to the puree. True, it is better not to overdo it with coriander, otherwise the finished dish will have a too sharp aftertaste. You can also add bulgur and bread crumbs to the falafel mixture.

To make the taste of the finished falafel more delicate, it is better to replace soda with baking powder in a proportion of 12 grams of powder for every kilogram of chickpeas.

 

In the homeland of falafel, hummus, a sauce made from chickpeas, is added to the mass during the cooking process. It is not a problem to buy it in any grocery supermarket today, so it remains to stock up on this ingredient and along the way once again enjoy the wide range of products offered to modern buyers.

To make the delicacy more tasty, after preparing the mixture for frying, let it stand for at least half an hour. Then the pea puree will have time to be saturated with spices and spices, which means that after heat treatment it will be tastier.

The classic falafel sold in Israel has a ball diameter of exactly 2.34 centimeters, no less and no more. But what prevents you from making balls the way you think is the most convenient to prepare or tempting to eat?

 

classic falafel recipe

Those who have not yet become adept at cooking falafel, or have not decided on their attitude to this dish, should begin their acquaintance with the classic recipe. Cooking it at home is quite a doable task.

For falafel you need the following ingredients:

250 g chickpeas, 1 liter of water, 3 tbsp. l. bulgur cereals, 1 large onion, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 bunch of parsley and cilantro, 1 teaspoon of soda and salt, 1 tbsp. l. coriander, 3 tbsp. l. cumin, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp. ground black and cayenne pepper, a pinch of ground cardamom, 4 tbsp. l. flour, 1 liter vegetable oil for deep-frying.

To begin with, chickpeas need to be filled with water. It is best to do this in the evening so that you can start cooking in the morning. But if for some reason there is no time, then it is necessary that it swell for at least 4 hours. After that, you need to grind the chickpeas to a puree state. Previously, this was done manually in a basin, but today food processors and blenders have come to the aid of modern housewives.

We clean the onion from the husk and finely chop, crush the garlic in a garlic press or finely chop with a knife. We also chop the parsley and cilantro.

 

Put and mix in a container: chickpea puree, bulgur, chopped onion and garlic, chopped herbs and spices. Lastly, add soda and salt, then mix again.

Add 3 tablespoons of water to the ingredients in a bowl, mix and add flour. Roll the falafel balls with wet hands. Based on the indicated number of products, they should get about 18 pieces.

Pour vegetable oil into a deep frying pan and heat. Fry the falafel over medium heat. It is advisable to fry 3-4 balls at a time. Fry the balls for about 3-5 minutes. As soon as they acquire a golden crust, they can be taken out and put on a paper or cloth napkin to get rid of excess oil.

This dish is eaten hot. It is most often served with pita and a light vegetable salad.

 

Some especially creative housewives make falafel stuffed with minced meat, for example. Such a dish can no longer be called a classic, but it is unusually tasty and even more nutritious.

Having made falafel at least once at home, you will appreciate it and will certainly want to cook it from time to time.