The other day I started craving a falafel bowl so bad. I could just taste all of the flavors and seasonings. So I hit up the store to get the ingredients below and got to work. This bowl was so tantalizing, I had to crack open the laptop as soon as I was done to share.
I am sure there are many different ways to make falafel and I've tried many ways including buying frozen/pre-made ones (I was not a fan) and trying a few recipes from Pinterest but this batch was my favorite and a mix of a few recipes plus my own spin on things (and of course, it's easy)!
So let's get right down to it: You'll need a food processor for this. I have never made it any other way and cannot guarantee how the texture will come out if you use a different method.
Ingredients (makes about 9-14 falafels, depending on how large you form them --- if your food processor is smaller, cut ingredients in half):
- 2 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (you can keep the chickpea juice aka aquafaba for baking/egg replacement ---just Google "aquafaba uses" if you want to learn more)
- 1/4 red onion, chopped
- handful of fresh parsley
- handful of fresh cilantro
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of flour (I use either spelt flour or gluten free all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon of falafel seasoning (you can pick some up from your local Indian market or make your own with a blend of Salt, garlic, onion, ground cumin, ground coriander, parsley flakes, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cardamom powder)
- neutral cooking oil (enough to at least cover the base of the frying pan)
Instructions:
Add the chickpeas, red onion, parsley, cilantro, seasonings (all ingredients except baking powder and flour) to food processor. Pulse/process the mixture until it forms a chunky paste. A little texture to the mixture is ideal. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure the mixture is an even texture as needed.
Begin adding flour, a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture becomes cohesive enough to form into patties. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour so flavors can blend and mixture can set (I usually do about 2-3 hours).
Using a spoon or scoop (about 1/8th cup or 2 Tbsp), form the falafel dough into small patties. I like to do them a bit flatter so they are sure to fry evenly.
Cook the patties on each side until deep golden brown and crispy on both sides.
I love to make a big salad with mixed greens, baba ganoush or hummus, kalamata olives, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes and tahini dressing or garlic sauce. You can also add vegan feta; I used Follow Your Heart crumbles and it was everything! Happy eating and hope you enjoy this recipe!
Did you make these? I wanna hear about it!! Tag me on social and don't forget to use the hashtag #tantalizingtamika when you post :-)
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