Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern “fast food” made of a mixture of chickpeas, herbs and spices that are formed into a small patties or balls. This dish is believed to have been created as a hearty replacement for meat by the Coptic Christians during the 40 day fasting season called lent. It has now become a popular vegan food in Egypt and in the Middle East.
Recipe:
Soak 2 cups of chickpeas overnight adding plenty of water to completely submerge them. Note that the chickpeas nearly double in size. So use a large vessel.
Drain the peas well and dry them.
Roughly chop one medium sized onion, 6-7 cloves of garlic,
While the authentic recipe calls for parsley, cilantro/coriander, and dill, I have just used cilantro/coriander and spinach (Palak).
Add the chickpeas, the greens, onion, garlic and the greens to a food processor or blender and pulse them a little bit at a time.
Then add a spoon of coriander powder and cumin powder, one and half spoons of salt and pulse one last time.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate it for at least one hour.
Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and allow the balls to warm up to the room temperature.
Toast one tablespoon of white sesame seeds and add it to the mixture.
Add one teaspoon of baking powder and mix it thoroughly.
Heat some oil in a pan for deep frying.
Roll the mixture into balls and fry them in the oil until they turn medium-brown.
Note:
You may also flatten the mixture into patties. Take care not to flatten them so much, as the insides of the falafel must be soft after frying.
Falafel can be served as a sandwich inside pita bread, or in the Middle Eastern style as a fast food with a dash of tahini sauce or to dip in creamy hummus.