Falafel

I have always loved falafel though it’s not something you find often in Hawaii, and especially where we live, Maui.  Cook’s Illustrated developed their recipe a few years back and I finally got around to making it.  Maybe it took so long because in my mind I thought it would be a time consuming and fussy recipe.  But once I made my own falafel, it was so delicious I was convinced that it was worth the effort and as it turned out, it’s not very fussy at all.

One of the important things to know is that dried chickpeas rule in this recipe.  I soak them in the evening before I go to bed, then drain them in the morning.

Good falafel is full of fresh herbs and spices like cumin, coriander and a bit of cayenne pepper.  The herbs make for a gorgeous color and terrific flavor in each bite.

Cook’s Illustrated incorporated the Asian bread-baking technique of using tangzhong in their falafel. This helps to make a cohesive mixture that ensures the falafel is moist and tender once cooked.  The tangzhong for this recipe, consists of flour, water and baking powder.  Try to work quickly once the tangzhong is ready. The baking powder is full of life.

These beautiful falafel patties are crisp on the exterior with tender interiors.  They cook quickly and evenly and are easy to stuff into soft, warmed pitas.  I pan- fried my falafel in a bit of oil, however, the original recipe instructs you to deep fry the falafel.  You may prefer to follow this step if you shape your falafel into balls rather than patties. Serve the falafel with tahini sauce.

Falafel

 

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Delicious falafel adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
• 2 ounces fresh herbs: Italian parsley, cilantro and mint
• ½ cup chopped onion (fine)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier falafel)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• oil for shallow frying or more for deep frying

Preparation

1. Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Make sure your bowl has plenty of space for the chickpeas to expand. Cover and soak in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. Process Italian parsley, cilantro, mint, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper in a food processor for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to process until the mixture resembles pesto, about 5 seconds longer. Add drained chickpeas and pulse 6 times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to pulse until the chickpeas are coarsely chopped and resemble sesame seeds, about 6-10 more pulses. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk flour and ⅓ cup water in a bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 10 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth pudding-like consistency that forms a mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl; 20-40 seconds. Stir baking powder into the flour paste.
4. Add flour paste to chickpea mixture and using a rubber spatula, mix until fully incorporated. Divide mixture into 20 pieces (24 if forming balls) and gently form into a patty shape. If making balls, roll mixture into golf ball-size spheres. Transfer patties to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. The formed falafel can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours, covered.
5. Heat enough oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides of a wide high sided skillet (mine has 3" sides) over medium to medium-high heat. (If deep frying, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 325 degrees and fry half at a time for about 5 minutes until deep brown in color). Once the oil is hot, add patties and fry, turning the falafel to ensure all sides have browned nicely. You may need to turn the heat down if it's too hot (medium). Transfer cooked falafel to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Serve with tahini sauce (see link to recipe above).

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