Recipe for the middle eastern Falafel. Made from scratch. No fillers used. Authentic recipe inspired from NYC food truck Taim Mobile.
I like falafels. I am sure its the brother of the Indian lentil Vadas. Falafels are so versatile. We make falafel burgers at home and they are out of this world. Click here for the Falafel burger recipe. This middle eastern staple is so loaded with protein and its tastes so good that you wont miss the meat. Makes it perfect for #meatlessmondays. This recipe has been inspired from the NYC Food Truck Taim Mobile.
Dump the chickpeas in a large bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Add water till it fills the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight for 8-10 hours. The next day, drain.
Chop the greens ( I use coriander leaves, mint leaves and parsley) roughly. Set aside. Add in the rest of the ingredients along with the greens. Basically dump all the ingredients in your mixer. Work in batches if necessary. You need to grind the mixture to a slightly coarse paste. Do not add any water while grinding. For every pulse in your mixer, open the jar and slightly mix everything so the mixture gets ground evenly. Resist your urge to add water. Once you feel that the mixture has become a coarse paste, Set aside. The coarse texture is important for this recipe.
Make small balls using your palm. Shape the mixture into 1½ inch balls and set aside. Make sure not to pack or press too hard in-between your hands. Heat oil in a pan and add the falafel balls when the oil is hot. Do not disturb the oil for the first minute. The falafel mixture is very fragile and may break open if you try to maneuver them in oil. After a minute, try to turn the falafels. Cook the falafels till its brown. Make sure to work in small batches to keep your oil nice and hot, which keeps your falafel tender and crispy.
Serve the falafels with hummus.
- 1½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup coriander leaves (6-7 sprigs), coarsely chopped
- ½ cup parsley (6-7 sprigs), coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup mint leaves (4-5 sprigs), coarsely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 green chillies (optional)
- Vegetable Oil / Canola oil for deep frying
- Dump the chickpeas in a large bowl and add ½ teaspoon baking soda. Add water till it fills the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight for 8-10 hours. The next day, drain.
- Chop the greens ( I use coriander leaves, mint leaves and parsley) roughly. Set aside. Add in the rest of the ingredients along with the greens. Basically dump all the ingredients in your mixer. Work in batches if necessary. You need to grind the mixture to a slightly coarse paste. Do not add any water while grinding. For every pulse in your mixer, open the jar and slightly mix everything so the mixture gets ground evenly. Resist your urge to add water. Once you feel that the mixture has become a coarse paste, Set aside. The coarse texture is important for this recipe.
- Make small balls using your palm. Shape the mixture into 1½ inch balls and set aside. Make sure not to pack or press too hard in-between your hands. Heat oil in a pan and add the falafel balls when the oil is hot. Do not disturb the oil for the first minute. The falafel mixture is very fragile and may break open if you try to maneuver them in oil. After a minute, try to turn the falafels. Cook the falafels till its brown. Make sure to work in small batches to keep your oil nice and hot, which keeps your falafel tender and crispy.
- Serve the falafels with hummus.
Can we shallow fry on a nonstick frying pan. Or deep fry is must?
Can we skip the parsley. It is not available around here
sure!