Falafel a Gourmet Jewel of the Middle East

                                                                      Falafel Of The Middle East

Falafel, a gourmet jewel of the Middle East, is by far one of the best-loved foods of Israel,Palestine, and  Egypt, All through the Middle East Falafel is prepared with love. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern Food. It is the king of the street foods. Falafel is the earliest fast food.

As you travel throughout the Middle East there are many varieties of falafel. It still remains primarily, deep golden fried balls made from ground chickpeas. Though in Israel, they are still made exclusively by shaping into traditional ball, many countries are starting to flatten the balls into small mini patties. Especially in restaurants, it is often made this way.

To make falafel, garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) are soaked overnight. It is good to add baking soda to the soaking water to remove the gasses from the beans. I like to let them sit for close to 24 hours and then rinse several times. They are then ground with spices. Favorites  are salt, pepper, chilli, garlic and coriander. The mixture is then shaped into patties. Flour may be used for binding, if needed. Following is my favorite recipe for this all time favorite with several regional options.

Falafel (Original recipe taken from Tori Avey Website)
I made some minor changes and added my notes.

30-34 falafels
Kosher Key: Pareve

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans - you must start with dry, do NOT substitute canned, they will not work!
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 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 (grape seed, canola, and peanut oil work well)
YOU WILL ALSO NEED

Food processor, skillet
Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Add a little baking soda to water. Let them soak overnight, preferably around 20 hours. 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. You want the mixture to hold together, and a more paste-like consistency will help with that... but don't over process, you don't want it turning into hummus!

Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir; this will make the texture more even throughout. Remove any large chickpea chunks that the processor missed.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or cloth and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Note: Some people like to add baking soda to the mix to lighten up the texture inside of the falafel balls. I don’t usually add it, since the falafel is generally pretty fluffy on its own. If you would like to add it, dissolve 2 tsp of baking soda in 1 tbsp of water and mix it into the falafel mixture after it has been refrigerated. Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. I prefer to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, like grape seed. 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. Note: if the balls won't hold together, place the mixture back in the processor again and continue processing to make it more paste-like. Keep in mind that the balls will be delicate at first; if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won't hold together, you can try adding 2-3 tbsp of flour to the mixture. If they still won't hold, add 1-2 eggs to the mix. This should fix any issues you are having.

Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the center of the pan. 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 falafel will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the falafel in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on both sides.

Once the falafel are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon.

Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafel fresh and hot; they go best with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita. Troubleshooting: If your falafel is too hard/too crunchy on the outside, there are two possible reasons-- 1) you didn't process the mixture enough-- return the chickpea mixture to the processor to make it more paste-like. 2) the chickpeas you used were old. Try buying a fresher batch of dried chickpeas next time.

SESAME FALAFEL VARIATION: After forming the balls or patties, dip them in sesame seeds prior to frying. This will make the falafel coating crunched and give it a slightly nutty flavor.

HERB FALAFEL VARIATION (GREEN FALAFEL): Add ½ cup additional chopped green parsley, or cilantro, or a mixture of the two prior to blending.

TURMERIC FALAFEL (YELLOW FALAFEL): Add ¾ tsp turmeric to the food processor prior to blending.

EGYPTIAN FALAFEL: Use 1 lb. dried peeled fava beans instead of chickpeas; cover them with cold water, soak them for at least 24 hours, then drain and rinse. You can also use a mixture of fava beans and chickpeas if you wish; just make sure the weight of the dried beans adds up to 1 lb. After the beans are soaked and rinsed, add the Classic Falafel ingredients to the processor along with the following ingredients – 1 leek, cleaned, trimmed, and quartered; ¼ cup chopped dill; ¼ cup chopped cilantro; and an additional ¾ tsp cayenne pepper. When mixture is processed to a coarse meal, pour into a bowl. Stir 2 ½ tbsp sesame seeds into the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly dispersed throughout the mixture. Refrigerate and proceed with frying. If mixture seems too “wet” when making the falafel balls, add additional flour by the teaspoonful until the mixture sticks together better. Continue with frying.

HOW TO MAKE A FALAFEL PITA: Making a falafel pita is actually really simple. The two main ingredients are pita bread and falafel. Cut the pita bread in half to form two “pockets.” Each pocket is a serving size. Stuff the pocket with falafel, as well as any add-ons you fancy. Here are some traditional add-ons that can be added to your pita; these are the ingredients most widely available at falafel stands throughout Israel.

Tahini sauce:

Shredded lettuce
Diced or sliced tomatoes
Israeli salad
Onions
Dill pickles
Hummus
Tabouli
French fries
Here are some less traditional add-ons that are also tasty: Sprouts
Cucumber slices
Roasted peppers
Roasted eggplant slices
Sunflower seeds
Feta cheese
Yogurt
Tzatziki

So if you're roaming the streets of the Middle East, look for the street markets. Enjoy fresh Falafel and do not hesitate to make. It is easy and delicious. Haven't been to the Middle East, this is a great adventure! Grab your passport and pack your bags. You are about to discover a truly amazing adventure.

                                                              Picture Curtesy of @pilgrimtraveler

Interested in  middle eastern tea drink --> Check out  How to make spicy Bedouin Tea 

Some of the recipe ideas came from Toris Kitchen You can see more information and ideas here as well.

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