Falafel
"This recipe has been updated to improve your cooking experience (January 2024). My go-to recipe for authentic, crispy, green falafels. No canned chickpea shortcuts here! Stick with dried chickpeas for an authentic texture and flavor. What’s super cool about this recipe is its practicality: Prep the mixture ahead and let it chill in the fridge (or even freezer), ready to fry up whenever the mood strikes."
Steps
Step 1/4
In a large bowl, place the dried chickpeas and the baking powder and cover with water, ensuring there is at least 5 cm of water above the chickpeas. Leave to soak overnight, approx. 18 hours, or even longer if the chickpeas are still too hard. Then, drain the chickpeas well and pat dry.
Step 2/4
Peel and dice the onions and garlic, and finely chop the chili. Place the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic, chili and spices into a food processor (or stick blender and bowl) and process until well combined. Add in the sesame seeds and stir with a spoon. Pour the mixture into a container and cover tightly. Leave to rest for at least 1 hour.
Step 3/4
Just before frying, shape the mix into small patties either with moistened hands or an ice cream scoop. Fill a medium-sized pot with approx. 7 cm of oil or enough to cover the falafels and heat over medium-high heat. Working in small batches, carefully fry the falafel patties in the oil for approx. 4—6 min. until crispy and golden brown on the outside. Drain the fried falafel patties on a paper towel.
Step 4/4
Roughly chop mint leaves, slice cucumber and roughly chop tomatoes. Mix Greek yogurt, chopped mint, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Serve the falafels hot in pita bread with the yogurt dip, tomatoes and cucumber. Enjoy!