Middle Eastern Falafel
My classic vegetarian chickpea falafel recipe uses Middle Eastern spices and herbs. Bake or fry them and serve with creamy tahini or hummus!
- Prep time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Cook time
- 8 min
- Yield
- 20 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 1/4 cup dried chickpeas
- 1/3 cup red onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
- 1
Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups water. Cover and set aside to soak overnight (8 hours). They will double in size.
- 2
Drain chickpeas and transfer to food processor (See Note 1) along with the red onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro. Pulse several times for about a minute until finely chopped, but not too grainy, or too mushy of a texture. It should just start to hold together.
- 3
Remove mixture from processor and mix together in a bowl with the salt, spices, baking powder, flour and water. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- 4
Heat oil to 350°F in a large sided skillet (cast iron) or heavy bottom medium saucepan.
- 5
Wet your hands and scoop a tablespoon of the mixture into the palm of your hands to form a ball about the size of a walnut. You could also use a small ice cream scoop, spoon or falafel scooper if you prefer to keep them uniform in size (they will be flat and rounded).
- 6
Place each falafel on a tray and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Deep fry them in 2 batches, don't over crowd the oil, it will lower the heat. Fry for 4 minutes until browned and cooked through (See Note 2).
- 7
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with tahini sauce and or all Optional Condiments in a Pita.
- 8
Add a 1/4 cup vegetable oil a baking sheet, spread to cover and preheat oven to 350°F.
- 9
Wet your hands and scoop a tablespoon of the mixture into the palm of your hands to form a ball about the size of a walnut. You could also use a small ice cream scoop, spoon or falafel scooper if you prefer to keep them uniform in size (they will be flat and rounded).
- 10
Place each falafel on a baking tray and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. I have found it better to flattened the balls slightly when baking or make the disk shape. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping after 12 minutes.
- 11
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with tahini sauce and or all Optional Condiments in a Pita.