All you need are some chickpeas, a bit of spice and some time…

Falafels are a delicious morsel to get comfortable with in the kitchen.  They are easier than you think to make and very economical as well.  

Some things you need to know before starting on the falafels, is that you HAVE to soak them, preferably overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.  I had no parsley on hand so I improvised with a little raw broccoli or greens.  

(The tricky part of making the falafels is moulding them so they don’t fall apart.  If you can get your hands on one of those cool little gadgets they use in the middle eastern restaurants to scoop and drop the mix into the hot oil then i would highly recommend that. However I used a soup spoon as a guide and then firmly but gently mould them into a round disc).

Makes 24

Skill - moderate

Prep/Cooking time - 30 minutes (12 hours soaking)

Ingredients 

170g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Cracked pepper

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground

2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice

⅛ tsp chilli powder

Method

Once the chickpeas have soaked, drain well.

Using a food processor, add the drained chickpeas and blend until you get a texture of fine bulgur wheat, you do not want a paste.

Remove mixture into a large bowl.

In the bowl of the food processor add the onion and garlic and quickly processor until finely chopped (saves time).  Add this to the chickpeas.

Now add the remaining ingredients and mix everything together really well (i use my hands).

The mixture will clump together when squashed in your palm.  

In a heavy based fry pan ⅔ fill with oil, heat over a moderate heat.

Have a tray on hand with kitchen paper to drain the falafels on.

I am sure there is a more efficient method of moulding the falafels, but until I get one of these cool gadgets then I make do with a spoon. I found that once you have scooped the mix together you need to mould them firmly, but gently.  I do realise this sounds odd but the mixture doesn’t like to be messed around with too much. Once moulded, place into hot oil and cook on both sides until dark golden brown and crisp (4 minutes).  Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Continue until all the mix is used.  

I like to serve the falafels with greek yoghurt, chilli sauce and a drizzle of olive oil.