Classics · Middle East

Falafel

Name: Falafel
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 12 h 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 300 g Dry chickpeas; 1 szt Onion; 4 szt Garlic (cloves); 1 szt Flat-leaf parsley (bunch); 1 szt Fresh coriander (bunch); 2 łyżeczka Ground cumin; 1 łyżeczka Ground coriander; 1 łyżeczka Baking soda; 1.5 łyżeczka Salt; 0.5 łyżeczka Black pepper; 1000 ml Rapeseed oil for frying

Time

35'

+ 12h chilling

Diff.

medium

Kcal

480

/ serving

Servings

Gather 11 ingredients before cooking

Scale

Units

01 You'll need check when you have it

02 To finish last minute: ~60 min window

Step 01 of 07

Soak the chickpeas

300 g

Put dry chickpeas (300 g) in a large bowl and cover with cold water — at least 3 times the volume, they'll swell a lot. Leave overnight, minimum 12 hours.

Tip

Do not use canned or cooked chickpeas. Falafel from cooked chickpeas falls apart in the oil — it's physics, not technique. Raw soaked chickpeas hold together on their own.

Step 02 of 07

Grind everything

300 g

1 szt

4 szt

1 szt

Drain the dry chickpeas (300 g) and pat dry — water ruins the texture. Peel onion (1 szt) and garlic (cloves) (4 szt), quarter the onion. Pick leaves from flat-leaf parsley (bunch) (1 szt) and fresh coriander (bunch) (1 szt) (stems are fine too). Put everything in a food processor and pulse until you get a wet sand texture — not a paste. It should hold when pressed between fingers.

Tip

If you blend to a smooth paste, falafel turns dense and rubbery. The mixture must stay grainy — that's what gives the crispy shell.

Step 03 of 07

Season the mix

2 łyżeczka

1 łyżeczka

1,5 łyżeczka

0,5 łyżeczka

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add ground cumin (2 łyżeczka), ground coriander (1 łyżeczka), salt (1,5 łyżeczka) and black pepper (0,5 łyżeczka). Stir with a spoon — don't blend again.

Step 04 of 07

Chill the mix

Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cold mixture holds its shape better when frying and won't fall apart in the oil.

Step 05 of 07

Add soda and shape balls

1 łyżeczka

Just before frying, mix baking soda (1 łyżeczka) into the batter thoroughly. Soda goes in at the end because it only works briefly — it's what makes falafel fluffy inside. Shape into walnut-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Flatten slightly — they fry more evenly that way.

Step 06 of 07

Fry the falafel

1000 ml

Heat rapeseed oil for frying (1000 ml) in a deep pot to 170°C. No thermometer? Dip a wooden spoon — small bubbles should form around the tip. Fry 5-6 balls at a time, no more — overcrowding drops the temperature. Fry for 3-4 minutes until deep brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels.

Tip

Always test with one ball first — if it falls apart, the mix is too wet (add 1-2 tablespoons of chickpea or regular flour) or the oil is too cold.

Step 07 of 07

Serve immediately

Falafel is best straight from the oil — crispy outside, soft inside. Serve with pita, hummus, garlic-yoghurt sauce and a tomato-cucumber salad.

Bon appétit

How did it turn out?

Enjoy — now it's a matter of patience and a good table.

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