Description
Crispy Middle Eastern falafel brings authentic street flavors to your kitchen with ground chickpeas, herbs, and aromatic spices. Perfectly golden, these delectable fritters offer a delicious journey through traditional Mediterranean cuisine you can savor at home.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups (360 milliliters) dried chickpeas
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cooking and Serving Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Pita bread
- Fresh vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce)
- Tahini sauce or hummus
Instructions
- Submerge dried chickpeas in cold water overnight, allowing them to hydrate completely and soften.
- Drain chickpeas thoroughly, removing any excess moisture to prepare for blending.
- Combine soaked chickpeas with aromatic herbs, robust spices, and pungent alliums in a food processor, creating a rustic, textured mixture that will hold its shape when compressed.
- Incorporate binding agents like flour and leavening powder into the ground mixture, ensuring structural integrity and light, airy consistency.
- Refrigerate the freshly prepared mixture for at least an hour, allowing flavors to meld and texture to stabilize.
- Craft compact, uniform spheres or disc-shaped patties using clean hands, maintaining consistent size for even cooking.
- Heat oil in a deep skillet to precise temperature, ensuring optimal frying conditions for golden, crisp exteriors.
- Carefully lower prepared falafel into hot oil, rotating periodically to achieve uniform bronzing and maintaining internal moisture.
- Transfer fried falafel to absorbent paper, eliminating excess oil and preserving crunchiness.
- Nestle crisp falafel within warm pita pockets, accompanied by fresh vegetable garnishes and creamy tahini or smooth hummus for a complete culinary experience.
Notes
- Plan ahead by soaking dried chickpeas overnight, which helps create the perfect authentic texture and ensures your falafel won’t fall apart during cooking.
- Pulse ingredients carefully to maintain a coarse, slightly chunky mixture that helps falafel hold together without becoming a paste-like consistency.
- Chilling the mixture for at least an hour allows spices to develop deeper flavors and helps the falafel maintain its shape during frying.
- Use a consistent size when shaping balls or patties to guarantee even cooking and crispy exterior for each piece.
- Maintain oil temperature around 350°F to achieve golden-brown, crispy exterior while keeping the inside tender and fully cooked.
- Serve immediately after frying for maximum crispiness, pairing with fresh vegetables and creamy tahini sauce to enhance the traditional Middle Eastern street food experience.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg