For a self confessed Falafel lover, this post was long due.There is simply something extraordinarily amazing about this dish - so basic and simple. The making of Falafel cant get any easier, any addition or variation only ends up making it more and more likable. Falafel made only with chickpeas are the highlights when it comes to Middle East while the one made exclusively with Fava beans are favorites for Egyptians ( where it is was originated ).It can also be made with both the ingredients and that is my choice too.
Fresh Fava Beans are so good not only for their taste but also for the amount of Protein and fiber. And this is in addition to the loads of Vitamin C, iron , thiamine and so on and so forth. Chickpeas are also nutrition rich and I like to add these two wealthy ingredients for my falafel. The essence of making Falafel is that the beans used are not cooked. They are simply soaked and then ground to a paste and deep fried. This process helps to retain a lot more nutrients than usual. Further fresh fava beans can be eaten raw. I found some fresh fava beans the other day and knew that I had to make this fav.
Drain the soaked chickpeas and the shelled fava beans and grind them into a paste along with onions, garlic, herbs and the seasoning.Dont add water and it will be a coarse paste. If needed add some flour to the mixture to thicken up the mixture.
Then add the sesame seeds and give it a stir.
Make small balls of the mixture and then deep fry in medium heat. The same can be baked/shallow fried.
Baking takes approx - depending on you oven - about 20min each side in 350F oven.Grease the Pan with olive oil and then place the patties on it and drizzle some olive on top. After it gets browned, turn it the other side.
have tried a lot of your recipes and loved them.it has been a great great help all those afternoons when i worried about what to make for the evening. am expecting now and just can't enter the kitchen because of so much nausea. could you suggest something that i could make rather quickly so my husband doesn't have to suggest eating out everyday. food cooking and eating is an ordeal now. and i know i should eat.
The reason why it disintegrated is that your oil was probably not hot enough. You need the oil to be hot (not too hot nor cold) for this to work. Drop a small piece in the oil before frying to test. It should sizzle and get browned slowly in 10-15 seconds. Bigger pieces will take a bit longer. Use a thermometer to test the oil if possible. The oil should be somewhere between 350F-375F --DK
They unfortunately do soften when cooled after frying. I would suggest reheating them in an oven. May be at 350F for 5-10 minutes (depending on ur oven) should help to crisp them up once again?
Hi Sanc - We love Falafel too - are you by any chance talking about Tahini sauce? If it is, then it is made with Tahini (sesame seed paste). Lemme know, I will post it soon at Chef In You. I am doing Reader's Request for next few weeks and will do one for this too...:) --DK
Oh you can easily skip the Fava beans. Just substitute it for more chickpeas. The procedure is same. It will taste just as delicious :) --DK
By Falafel | Cat's Kitchen on May 2, 2014