How to Make Perfectly Crispy Falafels

My husband’s favourite meal when we went to the local restaurant was falafels. He couldn’t seem to get enough of them. Once a week we would end up there and I knew it was time to make them at home. So simple to make and you can control the quantity of spice and salt and enjoy them as often as you like.

The Ingredients for Perfectly Crispy Falafels

The main ingredient for these is the humble chickpea. Add to it a few spices and herbs and you have a delicious meal!

The Ingredients List for Perfectly Crispy Falafels:

1 cup dried chickpeas
3 cups of water
1/2 white or Spanish onion
1 cup green coriander leaves
1 red, green, or yellow chili
3 cloves of garlic
1 green onion (scallion)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Soaking the Chickpeas

The first step to getting the perfect balls is to soak your chickpeas. I like to put the chickpeas and the water in a bowl and let them sit in the bowl overnight. But they need to be soaked for at least 6 hours. So, you can soak them first thing in the morning and use them for dinner. I also add a little bit of salt to the water, so that the chickpeas absorb a little bit of the salt as they hydrate.

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Making the Mix:

Once they have soaked, drain the water and discard it. The next step is to grind the chickpeas to get the mix that we will use.

• Peel and chop the onion into small pieces.
• Wash and chop the fresh coriander into small bits as well.
• Peel the garlic
• Wash and chop the scallion and chili into 1 inch pieces as well.
• I find it helps the grinding process if all the ingredients are chopped instead of just tossed in without chopping.

Grinding the Chickpeas

• Add the chickpeas, onion, fresh coriander, chili, and garlic into a food processor.
• Grind the mixture for a minute or so.
• Add the scallion, cumin powder, salt, and pepper to the food processor.
• Continue to grind until you have a rough ground mix of chickpeas.
• Do not grind the chickpeas all the way.

You do NOT want a hummus like pasty mixture. Leaving the chickpeas in a rough ground makes them crispy and crunchy. If you grind the mixture into a fine grind, then the end result will be a tough ball instead of a crispy one. You should be able to see pieces of the chickpeas when you are done.

Pour the mix back into the bowl and add the chickpea flour and baking soda if using. Mix everything using your hands. The mixture should be soft enough to form balls.

Frying the Perfectly Crispy Falafels:

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees and test the oil before you fry the balls. I make a tiny ball (about 2 mm) and drop it into the oil. If it rises up right away, the oil is too hot. It if takes a minute or so to rise, it is not hot enough, but if it rises within 30 seconds or so, it’s perfectly hot.

Make 15 – 2 inch balls and drop them into the oil. Do not overcrowd the oil. If you drop too many into the oil at one time, the oil will cool down quickly and the balls will absorb too much oil and will not be crispy. Once they brown from one side, flip them and let them brown from the other side. Remove them onto a paper towel lined tray.

Serving Suggestions:

Enjoy them with a variety of sides such as

• Hummus – dip the falafel in a soft homemade hummus.
• Tahini dressing – tahini and falafel are a match made in heaven. Mix the tahini with some lemon and salt and a little water to thin it out.
• Tabouleh – a mix of parsley, couscous, tomatoes, and spices.
• Pickled red cabbage – chop the cabbage into thin strips, and add some vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Makes for a perfect side.
• Salad – salad is a perfect way to enjoy these. Try them with my healthy and crunchy vegetable salad.
• Pita – make a sandwich with the pita using all of the above ingredients

Storing Options:

• Store fried balls in an air tight container in the fridge and reheat them in the toaster oven or oven for a few minutes. They will be good as new.
• Made extra mix? Store it in an air tight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and fry the balls as usual.
• Soaked too many chickpeas? Drain and freeze them in an air tight container for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and grind like usual.

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