Falafel!


I've posted variations of falafel various times on this blog (click here to see them), but they all employed the use of cooked chickpeas in the recipe. I've seen recipes making this recipe where the chickpeas are not previously cooked, but simply soaked. And I've watched my friend Emad, who is from Bagdad, make this version. What's different about this version and Emad's is that he seasons in the Iraqi fashion with ground star anise, whereas I used the Lebanese spice mix known simply as "seven-spice," or baharat in Arabic. what I like about making this with the chickpeas simply soaked rather than pre-cooked, is how crunchy they are. The recipes for baharat, along with taratoor (lemony tahini sauce), are both listed at the bottom of this page. If you do not have the seven spices, or don't have the initiative to make it, simply substitute with 1/2 teaspoon cumin and a 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Also, while I made my son a traditional falafel sandwich in rolled flatbread for lunch, I ate mine on a salad...sliced summer tomato, avocado, sliced raw onion, feta cheese, fresh parsley and cilantro, and then drizzled with taratoor, hot sauce, and virgin olive oil (yum!). Anyhow, the easy and super-crunchy recipe and pics are below. If you've ever wanted to make restaurant or food-truck quality falafel in your home kitchen, this is it. To see other Lebanese-inspired recipes, click here.




Falafel 

Makes about 2 dozen small patties
1 cup dried chickpeas
3 cups water
½ small onion, diced
½ bunch Italian parsley, washed and chopped
½ bunch cilantro, washed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed hot pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Lebanese-style baharat mix
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
vegetable oil for pan-frying


Combine the chickpeas and water together in a bowl overnight and leave them at room-temperature to reconstitute. 



  Drain the chickpeas, discarding the water, and combine them with the onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, hot pepper, salt, baharat, turmeric, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.


Transfer the ingredients to a food processor (in batches if necessary) and process until a mealy consistency. Return the falafel mix to a bowl and mix in the flour by hand. Cover and refrigerate for about ½ hour.

 
Shape into patties, preheat about a half-inch of oil in a skillet, and pan-fry (in batches) on both sides until golden and cooked through. Transfer to absorbent paper and serve with Taratoor sauce.


Lebanese Seven Spice Mix 

Makes about 4 tablespoons
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container, or use as needed.

Taratoor 
Makes about 1 cup.

1 cup tahini ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¾ cup cold water 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. If too thick or too thin, adjust the consistency with water or tahini.
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