What is falafel, how is it prepared? Calorie content and nutrients in the composition, effect on the body and restrictions on use. How falafel is eaten, history.
Falafel is one of the most popular dishes in Israeli cuisine, made from chopped beans, seasoned and deep fried. Most often, chickpeas are the main ingredient, but other types of legumes are sometimes used. Serve in the form of balls or small cutlets. It is now considered a healthy substitute for fast food.
How is falafel made?
The dish is simple to prepare, but requires preliminary preparation, especially when using the classic falafel recipe, the main ingredient of which is chickpeas. It is washed several times and then soaked for 12-16 hours (1/3) in cold water, rinsing every 4 hours. If you use peas, it is enough to leave in water for 8 hours, for beans you need at least 1, 5 days, and for lentils - 24 hours. The proportions of legumes and liquid are the same.
Types of spices with which the dish is seasoned: cumin, turmeric, pepper mixture, coriander. Israelis prefer the Lebanese mixture - grated nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and black pepper.
Possible heat treatment methods: deep-fat frying, in a pan, with a lot of oil, baking in the oven. Healthy eating adherents choose the latter.
How to make falafel:
- Classic recipe … Chickpeas, 1 glass, soaked in advance, grind with a blender. Separately grind 3 tbsp into powder. l. sesame seeds, 1 tbsp. l. turmeric, 3-4 cardamom nuts. Grind a bunch of cilantro, 3-4 garlic teeth. The spices and chickpea puree are mixed, preferably with a food processor or blender, to get a completely homogeneous texture. Salt and pepper to taste. Vegetable oil, usually sunflower oil, is boiled in a deep fryer, while balls the size of a walnut are formed. However, this form is not required - you can make small cutlets. Dip them in deep fat, leave for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown, spread on a paper towel and blot on top to get rid of excess oil. But don't leave it for long. Homemade falafel is delicious while hot and fresh. You can reheat, but then you will not be able to fully enjoy the appetizing dish.
- Mint recipe … In this case, it is customary to form not balls, but small barrels. Probably, this is how they make it clear that there are additional ingredients in the composition. To the chickpea puree, 500 g, add a grated mixture of 30 g of parsley, 5 g of cilantro, 10 g of cumin and mint, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp each. baking powder for dough and onions. Fry according to the method already described.
- Vegetarian recipe … In this case, chickpeas, 1, 5 cups, are first germinated, and only then filled with water. The seeds are soaked in advance - 1 glass, for 3 hours, after removing the husk. Put in the bowl of a food processor: legumes, seeds, half a glass of chopped cilantro and parsley, 1 clove of garlic and 5 onion feathers. When the structure becomes completely homogeneous, seasonings are added: curry in powder - 1 tbsp. l., salt - 0.25 tsp, olive oil - 1 tbsp. l., lemon juice - 2 tbsp. l. Preheat the oven to 40 ° C, put the blanks on a baking sheet covered with parchment, and put them in the oven. Leave for 7-8 hours with the door ajar. A dish is considered ready if the crust covering the balls becomes crunchy and the flesh inside remains tender.
- Beans recipe … The preparation of falafel with white beans (1 cup) must be taken care of another 1.5 days before the main process. It will take at least 36 hours for the beans to reach the desired consistency. It is worth rinsing every 6 hours. Long soaking is required as the beans are not boiled. Spices are fried for 1 minute in a dry frying pan, and then grinded with pestle or in a coffee grinder. Bulgur, 3 tbsp. l., fill with water for 2 hours. A mixture of caraway seeds, curry, sumach and cumin is recommended - 1 tsp each. all ingredients, sesame seeds, 3 tsp. In a blender bowl, mashed beans, a small onion, 3 cloves of garlic, bulgur, 3 tbsp. l., slicing fresh parsley - a bunch, 1 tsp. with a slide of basil. Put the soaked bulgur into a homogeneous sticky minced meat (if it turns out to be too steep, pour in water while kneading) and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, mix again, salt and pepper to taste, add 1 tsp. soda. If you want something spicy, you can add chili seeds. Balls are formed and fried in refined sunflower oil. It is not necessary to immerse in deep fat.
- Pea recipe … It is enough to soak crushed peas for 8-10 hours. Grind it with garlic, 2 prongs, cilantro, 20 g of grated ginger, adding 2 tbsp. l. wheat flour, a handful of turmeric, salt, paprika, a mixture of black and allspice. When mixing, pour in 1-2 tbsp. l. water. The amount of liquid depends on the consistency of the minced meat. It should turn out such that the balls do not fall apart. Deep fat is used for cooking.
- Green pea recipe … Mashed with 400 g of peas, 1 onion, 2 garlic prongs, a bunch of cilantro, chopped spices - 0.5 tsp each. cumin, cumin, cumin and turmeric, pepper and salt. For thickening add gruel from chickpea flour - the grinding is diluted with water. Form into balls and deep-fried with refined olive oil.
Once you think about how to make falafel, you don't have to choose one of the recipes listed and thoroughly adhere to the recommendations for the amount of seasonings. For example, Europeans introduce cheese as an additional ingredient. This dish can no longer be classified as vegetarian, but it is much more satisfying than traditional recipes. In this case, the balls are baked in the oven at 160-180 ° C, after dipping them into the whipped egg white, and sometimes even breaded. You can experiment endlessly with taste.
The composition and calorie content of falafel
In the photo falafel
For each dish, the nutritional value should be calculated separately, taking into account its components. The given data corresponds to the classic recipe. Heat treatment - deep-fat frying.
The calorie content of falafel is 333 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 13.3 g;
- Fat - 17.8 g;
- Carbohydrates - 31.8 g;
- Water - 35 g;
- Ash - 2.1 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 1 μg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.146 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.166 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.292 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.125 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 104 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 1.6 mg;
- Vitamin PP - 1.044 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 585 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 54 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 82 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 294 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 192 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 3.42 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.691 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 258 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 1 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 1.5 mg.
Fats per 100 g:
- Saturated - 2.383 g;
- Monounsaturated - 10.17 g;
- Polyunsaturated - 4.16 g.
There are 10 types of essential amino acids, and most of all lysine and rare arginine, which have an antioxidant effect, without which the formation of muscle mass is impossible, atherosclerosis develops rapidly. Among the nonessential acids, glutamic acid predominates - with its deficiency, the child's growth stops and the risk of developing Parkinson's disease increases.
Despite deep-frying, considered one of the most harmful culinary processes, falafel contains a minimum amount of omega-6 and omega-9, polyunsaturated and unsaturated fatty acids. This allows you to introduce the dish not only into a vegetarian diet, but also when losing weight. But even if the classic version of the dish is chosen - deep-fried rather than baking, you can burn the energy obtained from 100 g of the dish using a 40-minute run, jumping rope for 1, 20 hours or 8 hours of sound sleep.
Benefits of falafel
The easily digestible protein in the composition of the dish helps adherents of a vegetarian diet restore protein-lipid balance, maintain an active lifestyle, and help preserve youth. A 100 g serving will help restore 50% of the lysine reserve. After all, it is he who is the building material for protein structures and stimulates the production of antibodies and hormones.
Falafel benefits:
- It has an immunological and anti-inflammatory effect.
- It stabilizes the work of the cardiovascular system, prevents the formation of sclerotic plaques.
- Accelerates growth in children and tissue regeneration in all categories of the population.
- Increases performance, enhances concentration and ability to concentrate.
- Prevents the development of anemia and helps to avoid weight loss.
- Stops the development of the pathology of the nervous system.
- Normalizes the work of the visual organs.
- Reduces blood sugar and supports the functioning of the pancreas.
- Improves the condition of the skin, nails and teeth.
Falafel has a pungent, spicy taste that stimulates the production of saliva. The incidence of caries and periodontal disease is reduced. In addition, the influence on the emotional state should be noted. Serotonin production increases, mood improves, healthy sleep is restored, and stressful situations become easier to perceive.
Contraindications and harm of falafel
The dish is temporarily excluded from the diet in case of exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive organs - gastritis, peptic ulcer, pancreatitis, with problems with the liver, gall bladder or kidneys. Legumes are a fairly heavy food, and if eaten often, digestive upsets occur. Therefore, it should be introduced into the diet with caution, no more than 100 g at a time.
The main contraindication to eating a dish is an allergy to legumes or ingredients in the composition. The harm from falafel arises not so much from the products from which it is prepared, but from the method of preparation and the introduction of carcinogens during deep-frying. To minimize the negative effect, the heat treatment should be changed to bake.
To improve digestibility, choose the right side dish. It is recommended to add herbs, fresh or stewed vegetables to chickpea balls, before eating, drink a glass of water with mint or a few drops of lemon juice. Remember that beans are heavy food and avoid overeating.
How is falafel eaten?
The dish is eaten on its own, wrapped in pita bread, pita pockets are filled with balls. According to tradition, sauces must be served with it. But no matter what recipe is prepared, falafel is served with vegetable salads or sauces.
Most popular condiments:
- Tahini (tkhina) … In a hot frying pan without oil, dry 200 g of white sesame seeds, stirring for 2-3 minutes so as not to burn. Pour into a blender, and when the seed cools down, grind it. Add 2 cloves of garlic and gradually add olive oil - up to 100 ml to obtain a uniform consistency. The finished sauce is cooled in the refrigerator. Before serving, season with slicing parsley with lemon juice.
- Cream sauce … Fry the shallots until golden brown. Pour in a little white dry wine and stew until it evaporates, and there is no gruel in the pan, season with pepper, salt, pour in cream and stew again until it boils down. Whisk in a blender before serving.
- Yoghurt dressing … In a blender, beat the grated fresh skinless cucumber, yogurt, 2 garlic prongs, 2 mint leaves. Salted to taste.
- Peanut sauce … Fry in a dry frying pan 1 tbsp. l. sesame seed, cool, pestle or grind in a coffee grinder. Mix with the same amount of peanuts, half a glass of cream, 1, 5 tbsp. l. tomato paste. Salt and sugar to taste.
Interesting facts about falafel
There is a version that the name of the dish comes from the Arabic word "pepper" - the transcription "filfil". Despite the fact that falafel is associated with the cuisine of Israel, Christians living in Egypt - Copts - were the first to cook it in the early Middle Ages.
The recipe was "developed" by monks who had to fast for a long time. But at the same time, no one canceled household duties. To restore the energy reserve, they began to make a dish from products, after which a surge of strength was felt. They were legumes. The Israelis began to use chickpeas as the main ingredient.
There is another version of the invention of the dish. It was the main component of the diet of the poor Phoenicians living in the territories of modern Syria and Lebanon. For them, it has become the only alternative to replenish the body with protein. The poor could not afford to keep cattle. Christians borrowed from the Phoenicians.
The first catering establishment that made falafel was opened in Tel Aviv in 1941 by a woman who, fleeing Nazi persecution, came from Berlin. Now this type of "healthy" fast food is gaining popularity in Europe.
A subsidiary of Israel McDonald in 2011 launched a network that was predicted to be hugely popular - McFalafel. But the hopes of the developers did not come true. Locals began to ignore eateries that differed from ordinary McDonald's eateries only in that chickpea discs were inserted into the bun instead of meat cutlets. The company has suffered losses, and residents, in order to taste a delicious dish, order it in small cafes or prepare it themselves.
Watch the video about falafel:
