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5 from 3 votes

Falafel

This tried-and-true recipe for authentic Mediterranean falafel is a crowd-pleaser, using dried chickpeas and a generous dose of fresh herbs.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Soaking8 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried chickpeas
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 cup fresh coriander
  • ½ medium red onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ cup flour

Directions

  • Soak the dried chickpeas in fresh water overnight. (Don't use canned or cooked chickpeas, it won't work as well.)
  • Drain the soaked chickpeas, and place in a food processor along with the parsey, coriander, onion, and garlic. Process until blended, but not too much—keep a bit of the chunky texture.
  • Add the cumin, ground coriander, salt, bicarb and flour, and pulse. Alternatively, empty the lot into a large bowl and mix it by hand.
  • Refrigerate in a covered bowl for at least 15 minutes, up to a couple of hours.
  • Heat some oil in a frying pan or shallow saucepan, on medium heat.
  • Shape the falafel mix into balls (with a scant tablespoon per ball), and press into the hot pan to make flattened mini-patties. (I prefer this method to deep-frying, less oil this way.)
  • Fry until golden-brown, then flip and fry the other side.
  • Serve immediately, in a fresh pita (or on some quinoa) with hummus, chopped tomato and cucumber, fresh coriander and tahina.