Hello YouTube friends! Today we are making traditional falafel! Is so simple. Chuck full of fresh and healthy ingredients. Falafel is such a great meal prep ingredient. You can make the ‘dough’ ahead of time and cook it off as needed. Or! Make the whole batch and portion them out with your favorite veggies for a satisfying and delicious meal.
Here’s what you need.
1 cup dried chickpeas. (Aka garbanzo beans)
***super important to use dried. Canned chickpeas are already cooked and full of way too much moisture which leads to a mushy falafel that’ll just fall apart.***
All you do is soak these little guys in
3 cups of water with
1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Try for overnight- or at least 8 hours.
Drain those little guys and pulse in a blender or food processor until they look like large grains of sand.
Dump them out and then blend the rest of your ingredients separately- no need to rinse your blender of food processor.
Blend
1 small white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch (Approx 1 cup) chopped flat leaf parsley Leaving off the majority of the stems
Approx 1/2 cup chopped cilantro again- leaving off the majority of the stems
Blend until Finley minced and it starts to resemble a pesto.
Add those chickpeas back in and blend until combined
Then add
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon coriander
Blend again!
Pop mixture into the fridge for about an hour to let everything meld together.
Then stir in
1 teaspoon baking powder. This is going to make our falafel nice and airy.
Roll your mixture into small sized balls. Pressing the wet dough together carefully. This recipe makes about 9 inch ish sized falafel
You can deep fry or bake these little guys. I prefer to cut the difference and pan fry them in a little vegetable oil.
Add enough oil to coat pan and place on medium heat.
Once oil is hot
add your little green falafels and cook for about 4 minutes on each side- or until browned
Drain on a wire rack- or paper towel.
Enjoy on their own with tahini, in a pita, rice bowl, or with hummus, baba ganoush and veggies!
My favorite way to eat them- especially when I’m trying to eat more healthy is on a big piece of Romain lettuce. Super crunchy and satisfying!
Add your favorite veggies and some tahini and you’re ready to go.
To make a simple tahini dressing just mix together
3 tablespoons tahini
The juice of one lemon
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
Mix until smooth and add hot water until you have a consistency you love.
Enjoy!!
