The Perfect Falafel - Vegan, vegetarian, fabulous

I tasted my first falafel in Dubai in 2015, I was skeptical, fried chickpea balls, what's the big deal? I was convert with my first bite. Mel ate, closed his eyes and smiled for a good few seconds. It took him back in time to his childhood growing up in Kuwait and eating a lot of middle-eastern food. At that point I realised I wanted to make middle eastern food at home and get a perfect falafel recipe. It took several failed attempts from soggy, mushy, oily, over-fried and hard but now we have just the perfect recipe we make over and over again.

We tend to have at least a meal every other week inspired by Middle Eastern flavors and I have a good critique in Mel who knows the flavours well. And last weekend we indulged in a middle eastern treat - Beetroot Hummus, Labneh, Tahini with herbs sauce, home made sourdough pita, grilled chicken, olives. It was delicious. Mel absolutely loved it. I was able to recreate that moment in 2015.

The perfect Falafel - as accredited by Mel

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas - soaked overnight 

2 cups mixed herbs of your choice (not tightly packed) - coriander, mint, parsley

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional but recommended)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp flour (chickpea/all purpose flour or a mix)

Oil for frying - I used sunflower, any neutral oil that has 

Let's get started

Step 0 - Soak chickpeas overnight. A minimum of 16hrs if possible, don't be impatient with this step and definitely do not use canned chickpeas.  Good things take time. In the morning drain them and let them sit on a tea towel till all moisture is gone.

Step 1 - Take all the ingredients (except the oil) in a food processor and pulse away. What you're looking to get is a coarse mixture. The chickpeas should be slightly bigger than the size of a mustard seeds. Please take care in this step. It's key to get the texture perfect. Please taste at this point to get the seasoning right. (mind the salt, more salt will make the falafel mushy)

Step 2 - Roll into balls and leave it alone for 20 mins (yes this is a step)

Step 3 -  In a shallow pan, heat oil to 180c-190c. Test by adding a small piece and should float on the top. Put small batches and fry till brown.

Step 4 - Season with more salt if needed and serve with dips and pita. 

Notes -

1. Last weekend, I didn't have enough herbs so I used spinach into the mix. Tasted great.

2. I have baked them in the past, you don't get the crispy exterior with that. 20-25 mins at 180c oven is what you need to bake. I'd highly recommend, doing a half and half for your first batch and see what you prefer. 

3. Shaping - I've tried flat and round. Flat shape needs less oil and cooks faster, I like the way the round looks so made it this way (for insta-love ;) ) Flat ones work well in the oven with a half way flip to get the right colour on both sides.

4. Adding Asafoetida/Hing is a Ayurvedic tip to decrease Vata in this dish. Totally optional but helps. A tip I picked up from the Higher taste recipe book from ISKCON

5. If using a mixie or grinder, pulse and scrape the sides to bring big pieces in. Else you will get an unevenly processed mixture.