Falafel

Name: Falafel
Yield: Serves Six
Cuisine: Israel
Ingredients: 75 ml/5 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; 75 ml/5 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves; 15 ml/1 tbsp ground coriander; 45 ml/3 tbsp ground cumin; 5 ml/1 tsp baking powder; 6 pitta breads, hummus, chopped vegetable salad relish, tahini, Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce, pickles, olives and salads, such as shredded cabbage, to serve; 5 m/1 tsp salt; small pinch to 1.5 ml/¼ tsp ground black pepper; vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 5 ml/1 tsp curry powder with a pinch of cardamom seeds added (optional); small pinch to 1.5 ml/¼ tsp cayenne pepper; 45–60 ml/3–4 tbsp gram flour; crumbled wholemeal (whole-wheat) bread or flour, if necessary; 250 g/9 oz/generous 1⅓ cups dried chickpeas; 5 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped; 1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups water; 45–60 ml/3–4 tbsp bulgur wheat

Preparation info

Serves
Six

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking

By Marlena Spieler

Published 2016

About

These deep-fried chickpea fritters are eaten throughout the Middle East, and are Israel’s favourite street food. The secret to good falafel is using well-soaked, but not cooked, chickpeas. Do not use canned chickpeas as the texture will be mushy and the falafel will fall apart when they are fried.

Ingredients

250 g/9 oz/generous 1⅓ cups dried chickpeas
1

Asia
Israel
Brunch
Mediterranean
Vegan

Method

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and pour over the water. Leave to soak for at least 4 hours, then drain and grind in a food processor.
Put the ground chickpeas in a bowl and stir in the bulgur wheat, onion, garlic, parsley, fresh coriander, ground cumin and coriander, baking powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and curry powder, if using. Stir in