Falafel

shankari — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:57:38 +0000

Sunday with Marlena Speiler

After you have tried this at home, We have a feeling that you will not like the store bought ones. This is a recipe that we will not try changing and tweaking and our quest for the best falafel recipe ends right here. Try it and be assured that you will be in falafel heaven. Falafels are a classic Israeli snack!

Recipe: Falafel

Ingredients

Split chickpeas/Channa Dal – 1 cup, soaked in 4 cups of water
Onion- 1 small
Garlic- 3 pods
Parsley – 2 T, chopped
Cilantro- 1 T, chopped
Cayenne – 1 to 2 tsp
Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Bulgur Wheat – 1 T
Baking powder – a tiny pinch
Salt – to taste
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions

Soak the chickpeas for 4 hours to overnight.
Drain the chick peas completely and pulse it in a food processor several times, till you get a coarse mixture
Do not add any water while you are pulsing.
Transfer the contents to a bowl, add salt and mix it well.
Make round balls, and if you have difficulty in making them, sprinkle very little water and try again or a little bit of crumbled whole wheat bread will do the trick.
Heat oil in a pan and when the oil reaches 350, start frying until they turn golden brown
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a paper towel

Quick Notes

Keep the heat on medium low after the oil has reached the desired temperature. If the oil is too hot, the outside will turn brown quickly, while the inside is not cooked thoroughly. Do not used canned garbanzo beans, this recipe has to be made with soaked chick peas.

Variations

Curry powder can be used if you do not have garam masala

Add more or less of the herbs to suit your palette

Cooking time (duration): 30

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 6

Meal type: hors d’oerves

Falafels can be served tucked in pita bread with hummus and a dash of tahini and fresh parsely.