Best Ever Home Made Falafel Recipe (vegan) (ecoTrain)
Falafel is the perfect balance of flavours, textures, temperatures and colours.. I could (and have) eat it EVERY day!.
Anyone who knows me knows that there is nothing I like to make more than Falafel, and following on from that, there is nothing I like to eat more than falafel (ok maybe sushi but its a close call). There are many ways to make it, and I've seen some people do it so wrong that I want to share with you, hands down, the best recipe I've ever used. This recipe is my own based on Yemenite flavours and spices. These takes the humble falafel to new heights!
OK so if you want to make your very own proper crispy falafel then please try this out!
What You Will Need
1. DRY chickpeas (100% not from a can) 500 grams
2. Fresh Coriander x 1 Bunch.
3. Fresh Parsley x 1 Bunch
4. Cumin Powder (freshly ground) 5 Heaped Table Spoons
6. Coriander Powder 1.5 Table Spoons
5. Cardamom Powder 1 Heaped Tea Spoon
6. Chili Powder 0.5 Tea Spoon
7. Onion 1/2
8. Garlic cloves x 4
9. Salt (2 heaped tablespoons)
10. Pepper (1 Tea Spoon)
11. Baking Powder (2 Tea Spoons)
What to do
The most important thing for a good crispy falafel is to minimise the amount of water in the mix. Therefore all herbs and items that are washed should be thoroughly dried before use. There's nothing more depressing then falafel balls that fall apart in the frier ;-(
1. Soak your chick peas for 6-8 hours in water (never cook them!)
2. Drain chick peas thoroughly.
3. Add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix by hand.
4. Blend it all up for just a short amount of time. You are looking for a course grind, not too fine. This gives a lovely rustic feel to the falafel.
5. Put in a bowl and leave in the fridge for 1.5 hours .
6. Give it a mix by hand (getting your hands dirty is very important to the taste folks)
7. Heat some sunflower or vegetable oil in a pan to medium / high heat.
8. Deep frying is best but you can also do this with shallow frying. Just make the balls flatter to make it work best.
9. Slightly moisten your hands and take a small amount of mix and make a ball in your hands. Slightly squish it to make it a bit flat. This helps also with the eating experience so they don't roll out of your pitta bread so easily. Oh these fine details matter!
10. Fry until golden brown, around 4-6 minutes. Turn the heat up to high at the last minute.
11. Remove and blot the oil with kitchen paper. eat IMMEDIATELY (see notes below)
So that is how you make the absolute best falafel. Now that was actually the very last step! The best way to enjoy falafel is to have it with Pita Bread wrapped around Salad, Coleslaw, Lots of Tahini and some green or red chilli sauce. Many people use hummus for this, but just try it with tahini! I always pre-make all of this before hand so that once the falafel are cooked you can eat them whilst they are piping hot inside the pita bread. If you have done it right, the inside of the falafel balls should be a vivid green!
I promise you will go to heaven and hopefully return!
ENJOY!
To view highlights and more posts from great authors on the ecoTrain please visit: https://steemit.com/nature/@eco-alex/posts-and-highlights-from-the-ecotrain-or-13th-july-19th-july
i have tasted his falafel.. He is right , they are the best i've ever had!
ur too kind!
you crazy. you crazy dog....
I've never eaten this, but want to! It looks delicious. I resteemed to save the recipe 😂
wow..your are the second who hasnt tried it.
TRUST ME.. you can only love this ;-)
Do you like Hummus? / Tahini?
I live in Africa and in a small town. I have aeen them in a "special foods" fridge. But I will buy some and try . 😂
ooh my friend.. u cannot compare the homemade recipe with the store version! but MAYBE you get lucky ;-)
do u like to cook?
Yes I do....do you have recipes? Or I can google it. Not something I thought of making before, but now my interest is piqued. I am looking for healthier snacks.
this post IS the recipe dear one
For the falafel yes, I was talking about the hummus/tahini
ooooh! sorry! right i thought maybe that was it.
well see if you can get some Tahini Paste.
Then mix that with about 50% water, salt, lots of lemon juice and garlic..
It's SO simple but the best thing ever to eat.. honestly!
Hummus is more complicated and yes you can google it..
Yes! I love falafel- thanks for this recipe and tips! Also that pita you made looks perfect!
thank you.. actually that isn't my own image! But mine are great too.. Im not at home for two months so i can't photograph my creations just yet.. but soon when i get back i will!.. i just wanted to share the recipe which is mine ;-)
you flag me. your video all copyright. your photos all copyright. don't flag go on. note. you crazy dog.
Thanks for this awesome recipe @eco-alex! I love coriander. Looking forward to try it next time! Upped and resteemed!
thanks a lot! i hope you try it and if you do please do let me know what you think of it..
Next up im going to share my very own Thai inspired vegan pesto.. Very different to the normal pesto and i think i like it even more!
OMG love falafel such great texture, got to add some homous and lemon too!
try with tahini! I'm a humus fan but somehow tahini and falafel is just the best!
yup i totally agree! its a little bit less heavy with tahini..
Nice. Looks yummy! I've never tried a falafel ever, or at least not knowing what it was called. Plant only eating is the best. Of course there are mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and others that are good non-plant things ;)
Wow really? What do you know ;-)
Well u really have to try this then my friend!..
I've had a huge table of people moaning and groaning at these, really!
They do need to be eaten as described at the end with a generous amount of Tahini!
Thank you for sharing the this recipe
my pleasure. i hope you try it.. my favorite food ever!
Omg Alex, this sounds and looks so so good! You are a real master chef!! Now I know what I always have done wrong when I have made my own;) I will absolutely try yours!!
happy to hear .. let me know how it goes!
I will do that! Probably a new post about falafel coming soon.😉
Darn well, I wish I had some chick peas! Anyone wanna mail me some? :)
These look great Alex, I am going to see if I can find some chickpeas around these streets and definitely try these out. I made vegan falafel once before but I didn't write down the recipe which was so disappointing because they ended up being delicious and everyone love falafel ;)
Thanks for sharing, my tummy wishes it was with your plate right now! I am a huge supporter of the vegan movement- I love showing people that it's not s restrictive as they believe ;)
XO,
💜2💜
thank you heart - to -heart
i have a few recipes that i made that i will share.. they are all SO good.. My next one to come is a special Thai Inspired Vegan Pesto.. .. Mmmm
im sure you will find some dry chick peas around somewhere! where do you live as i think they are available in all countries
Yum! Sounds wonderful! I can't wait to see it!
As for chickpeas, I have seen them but they are not organic and don't sprout :( I need to find some so I can make these!
What country do you live? Its hard to believe you cant find something as familiar to me as chick peas.. if you are SUPER keen you could get it online ! ;-)
maybe you will like my next recipe which im sure you can find the ingredients to..
This is TOO good i promise you! I called it my Thai inspired vegan pesto.. It's a whole nother world of pesto ;-)
OMG what a great recipe ! I love falafel, had it on a trip to Israel in 2001. Everywhere we went there I had my eyes peeled looking for it. Tried a few places here in the states and it is just not the same. Something about the spices. I will try your recipe, thanks🐓
yes! you are right it is hard to find the real deal in many countries including the US.. but u CAN find it if you are lucky and go to a proper arabic or israeli restaurant.. That said, there is nothing like home made.. and this recipe is not like one you find in normal falafel houses.. a good falafel should be nice and green inside! ;-)
please let me know how it goes!