Falafel
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern fast food made from chickpeas or beans, fresh herbs and spices. It is believed that the recipe for this dish was invented in Egypt by Coptic Christians who were looking for a replacement for meat during long fasts. And legumes in this case could be a real salvation: they have a lot of protein and those very “slow” carbohydrates that provide a feeling of satiety for a long time. In recent decades, falafel has become popular in Russia, especially as the ideas of veganism and the principles of proper nutrition spread. Therefore, if you want to learn how to cook this dish at home, take our recipe and check it out in practice!
Ingredients
Servings 18 pcs- 250 g dry chickpeas
- 3 tablespoons of bulgur
- 1 onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- cilantro
- parsley
- 3 art. l. ground cumin
- ground coriander
- ground cardamom
- 1 tsp baking soda
- salt to taste
- 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
- 0.25 tsp ground black pepper
- curry powder
- 4 tbsp. l. wheat flour
- vegetable oil
Cooking
Step 1
Sort the falafel chickpeas, put in a large bowl and pour 1 liter of cold water. Cover with a towel and leave for 4 hours at room temperature. Then drain the water.
Step 2
Pour bulgur for falafel into a bowl and pour boiling water so that it covers the grits with a layer of 2 cm. Leave for 10 minutes at room temperature. Then drain the water.
Step 3
Peel the onion and chop finely. Peel the garlic, pass through a press. Wash greens and dry well with paper towels. Finely chop, after removing the coarse stems.
Step 4
Pass the prepared chickpeas through a meat grinder with a fine grate and place in a bowl. Add bulgur, onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, coriander, cardamom, soda, salt, whole pepper and curry. Pour in 3 tbsp. l. water, mix the mass for falafel and leave for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Add flour and stir. With wet hands and a damp tablespoon, roll the dough into 18 balls. Heat the deep-frying oil in a deep frying pan (a cube of bread should be fried in it for 30 seconds). Reduce fire to medium. Put the falafel in small portions into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
Step 6
Remove the cooked falafel from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain excess fat. Serve hot with warm pita, vegetable salad, olives, hummus and tahini.