Chef John's Falafel

Unlike most of America's other favorite fast foods, falafel is rarely attempted at home, which is a shame, since it's very simple to do, and even a relative novice like me can get some very decent results. One word of warning: you do need to know you're going to have a craving for this a full day before you actually want to eat it.



Chef John's Falafel
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dry garbanzo beans

  • ½ yellow onion, diced

  • ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  • 4 cloves minced garlic

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or more as needed

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • oil for frying

Instructions
    1. Place garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 12 to 24 hours. Drain.

    2. Blend garbanzo beans, onion, parsley, garlic, flour, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander, baking soda, and cayenne pepper together in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until mixture is finely ground and holds together when pressed. Transfer garbanzo mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors blend, 1 to 2 hours.

    3. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

    4. Divide dough into 12 portions and roll each with moistened hands into a ball.

    5. Working in batches, cook falafel balls in hot oil until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.

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