We are facing an extremely popular recipe throughout the Middle East and that has also managed to become popular in Europe and the United States to the point of being able to be found in many pseudo-fast-food establishments or even frozen in superpermarkets. Although the origin is uncertain, it seems that it originally came from the area of present-day Pakistan, but it was in Lebanon that the expansion began.
A falafel is nothing more than a vegetable croquette made up of chickpeas, except in Egypt where it is made mostly with faba beans. The simplicity in its preparation explains the reason for its popularity.
One thing to keep in mind is that uncooked chickpeas (dry) are used, so you should not use the typical can of cooked chickpeas because it is not done that way, at least with this recipe. It is not a whim, it is that the cooked chickpeas are too wet to compact. Remember that this recipe is 100% vegan and does not use eggs to curdle. Chickpea can curdle on its own but requires controlled humidity to do so.
INGREDIENTS :
- 250 grams (9 oz) of dried chickpeas
- 1 red (sweet) or fresh onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Parsley
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Sunflower, canola, or corn oil
We leave the dried chickpeas to soak for 24 hours. We drain and go through the electric mixer until they are crushed, something fine but not like flour. Add the finely chopped onion, the two cloves of garlic (without the green germ), the chopped parsley and a teaspoon of salt and another of pepper.
We pass it through the blender again very briefly because this time it should be a "thick" dough. We make balls the size of a ping-pong ball (4 cm / 1.5 inches in diameter) or even smaller. We put the fryer with plenty of oil and when we are sure that it is very hot we toss the balls so that they brown well. The same frying will compact the balls even more.
Falafel are usually a side to salads but there is no problem eating them as a starter, or dipped in a sauce. They are eaten hot or at room temperature.