FALAFEL

Falafel- These middle eastern fritters are one of my favourite made up of chickpeas, garlic, and herbs. We typically eat falafel wrapped in a pita bread topped with some salad, hummus, tahini sauce but when the falafel itself is this good, you'll be tempted to eat it straight-up with just a dip of yogurt..

As i have grown up in Middle East, these fluffy falafels are my most favourites. I love making them and having it with hummus and tahini sauce. These are the most easiest recipes i have ever made

Also – an added bonus that works no matter how you choose to make your falafel: This recipe makes a lot of falafel, but it freezes great! Form the falafel into balls or patties, freeze it on a sheet pan before transferring to a plastic zip bag for long term storage. The falafel can go straight into the hot oil from the freezer without a problem. Just add another minute or so to the cook time. Perfect golden falafel!

Ingredients:-

2 cups dried chickpeas 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 cup packed fresh coriander leaves Zest of 1 lemon ¼ teaspoon paprika powder 1½ teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning after cooking ½ teaspoon ground black pepper oil for deep frying

METHOD:-

1.Place chickpeas in a large bowl and fill with water to cover them to a depth of 3 inches. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave on counter for 24 hours. The chickpeas will triple in size and absorb quite a bit of the water so check a few times during soaking to see if you need to add more water.Once the beans have soaked for 24 hours, drain and rinse well.

2. Place the cumin and coriander seeds in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet and set over medium high heat. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the seeds give off an aroma and just begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the toasted spices to a spice grinder and process until finely ground. Set aside.

3.Place the drained chickpeas, ground spices, garlic, onion and coriander leaves into a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine then feed through the a grinder in small batches until everything has been ground.

4. Mix the lemon zest, paprika powder, salt, and black pepper into the ground chickpeas then roll a small amount of the mixture into a walnut sized ball or a small patty with your hands. The mixture should hold together nicely and not fall apart. Continue rolling the rest of the batter into uniform size balls or patties so that they will cook in the same amount of time. Place the uncooked falafel on a large plate or baking sheet until ready to cook.

5. Heat oil in a large, high-sided skillet to a depth of 2-3 inches, enough to cover the falafel. When the oil is to temp fry a test falafel. The oil should bubble up and sizzle all around it. The falafel itself should stay together in one piece and not break apart at all. It should take 5 minutes to fry to a beautiful golden brown. If your falafel is not completely submerged flip and cook the other side until it’s nice and browned all over. Remove the cooked falafel from the oil and drain on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt while the falafel is still hot. Fry the remaining falafel in batches, being careful to not over crowd the pan and drop the temp of the oil.

ENJOY❤