Ingredients
– 2 cups dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
– 1 small onion, roughly chopped
– 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
– 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
– 1 and 1/2 tbsp flour
– 1 and 3/4 tsp salt
– 2 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp ground coriander
– 1/4 tsp black pepper
– 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
– pinch of ground cardamom
– vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, olive oil work well)
Procedure
Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water.
Let them soak overnight.
They will double in size as they soak – you will have between 4 and 5 cups of beans after soaking.
Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans well.
Pour them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.
Pulse all ingredients together until a rough, coarse meal forms.
Scrape the sides of the processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides.
Process till the mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and a paste.
Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 and 1/s inches.
I prefer to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed.
Heat the oil slowly over medium heat.
Meanwhile, form falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a falafel scoop.
I usually use about 2 tbsp of mixture per falafel.
You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference.
The balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry.
If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total).
If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center.
Serve your falafel with hummus (search for the recipe on VegCook.net), salad and tortillas, add some vegan mayo or tahini on top… go creative and enjoy!
