Falafel is a national vegetarian dish not only in Israel, but in many Arab countries. It is a deep-fried small balls of chickpeas and spices. We will reveal the cooking technology and all the secrets in this recipe.
Recipe content:
- How to cook falafel - subtleties and secrets
- How to make your own falafel at home?
- Recipe for making chickpea and bulgur falafel
- Video recipes
Falafel is to Israelis what a hamburger or hot dog is to Americans. However, falafel is not a purely Jewish dish, as it is pleasant to think. In the Arab world, chefs are outraged that the Israelis appropriated a traditional Arab dish and made it an unspoken symbol of their country! Such accusations are well founded, since falafel was prepared in Egypt many centuries ago, where it comes from. After which it gradually spread to the East, reaching Syria, Arabia, Palestine, Iraq.
Falafel is most often prepared from chickpea beans, because they have an oily texture and taste like nuts. This is such a popular food in Israel that it is practically not cooked at home, but bought in falafel establishments, which are located on every corner of the country. The dish is consumed by poor students, businessmen, and office workers who went out for lunch.
How to cook falafel - subtleties and secrets
Crispy and tender balls have conquered the whole world for a long time. You can make delicious chickpea falafel at home on your own. The main thing is to know the secrets and subtleties, which we will discuss below in this article.
- The basis of falafel is chickpea, which is commonly referred to as chickpeas, shish peas, lamb peas and bladder. It is a brown-green chickpea beans 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter. The taste is nutty, the texture is buttery. It is the best source of protein and carbohydrates.
- The texture of the ball mix can vary. On this score, the opinions of the hostesses were divided. Some believe that the mixture should be soft and smooth, others - loose and with chickpea pieces, others - grind the products to the consistency of a paste, and the fourth - leave a fairly coarse grinding.
- The fluffiness and softness of the balls can be obtained using a baking powder: baking powder or soda.
- Vegetables will add additional flavor to the balls. Typically, many recipes include chives, onions, or garlic. Celery root or chili is also added.
- Fresh and juicy herbs such as parsley or cilantro will add pungency and spice. Ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper are also ideal.
- A more delicate falafel texture can be obtained by adding a few tablespoons of hummus - chickpea sauce to the chickpea dough.
- To make the balls easier to form, the mixture is pre-cooled. Their ideal size is 2-4 cm, weighing 40 g. Such falafels will cook evenly - they will be fluffy and soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside.
- For extra appetizing, falafel is dipped in sesame seeds.
- Deep-fried balls are being prepared. But to compensate for this not the most useful method of heat treatment, the balls are dried on paper towels, which absorb excess fat.
- Combine ready-made balls with any sauces and seasonings. They are added to salads, wrapped in pita bread or pita bread, and used as a snack and main course.
How to make your own falafel at home?
Falafel, which came to us from the Mediterranean coast, at first glance seems to be a rather unusual dish that cannot be cooked at home. Although in fact this is a fairly simple dish that is easy to prepare in your kitchen.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 333 kcal.
- Servings - 15-20 balls
- Cooking time - 4-8 hours for soaking chickpeas, 30 minutes for kneading dough, 30 minutes for cooking
Ingredients:
- Boiled chickpeas - 1 tbsp.
- Garlic - 6 cloves
- Onions - 2 pcs.
- Parsley - 1 tablespoon fresh leaves
- Cilantro - 1 tablespoon fresh leaves
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Cumin - 2 tsp
- Wheat flour - 1/2 tbsp.
- Vegetable oil - for deep fat
- Ground red pepper - a pinch
- Lavash - for serving
- Tahini sauce - for serving
Step by step cooking:
- Soak the chickpeas overnight, then wash and boil until tender. As a result, it will double in volume.
- Peel the onions, wash and cut into small cubes.
- Peel and chop the garlic.
- Wash the parsley and cilantro and chop finely.
- Combine herbs, chickpeas, garlic, onion and all spices.
- Twist the products through a meat grinder or beat with a blender.
- Powder your hands with flour and form into round patties.
- Put the balls on a baking sheet and send to bake in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for half an hour until golden brown. However, in the original recipe, falafel should be fried in hot vegetable oil, but baked chickpea balls are more dietary and no less tasty.
- Wrap the finished falafel in pita bread, which is pre-greased with tahini paste or mayonnaise.
Recipe for making chickpea and bulgur falafel
The homemade falafel recipe is usually made from chickpeas, but in the company of bulgur, the dish will turn out to be more delicious and with a familiar taste. Such balls are to the taste not only of Israelis, but also of the inhabitants of our country.
Ingredients:
- Dry chickpeas - 250 g
- Bulgur - 3 tablespoons
- Drinking water - 3 tablespoons
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Wheat flour - 4 tablespoons
- Baking soda - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Powdered curry - 1 tsp
- Parsley - a bunch
- Cilantro - bunch
- Ground cumin - 3 tablespoons
- Ground coriander - 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Cardamom - pinch
- Vegetable oil - for deep fat
Step by step cooking:
- Soak dry chickpeas in cold water and leave for 4 hours. Then drain the water.
- Soak burgur for 1, 5 hours.
- Peel the onion and chop finely.
- Pass the garlic through a press.
- Finely chop the cilantro and parsley.
- Grind chickpeas and bulgur with a blender.
- Put the finished puree in a deep container and add onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, coriander, salt, soda, curry, pepper.
- Pour in water and stir. Leave it on for 30 minutes.
- Then add flour and knead the "minced meat".
- With hands soaked in cold water, form 18 balls.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a special deep fat fryer or saucepan.
- Fry each ball until golden brown and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Cool the falafel slightly and serve it with herbs, vegetables, hummus, or just like that.
Video recipes:
