Falafel Recipe

Have you ever eaten hot and crispy falafel balls inside a pocket pita? Was it crunchy and a little spicy?

Did it make you wonder what are they made from? Are they healthy? And what is their origin?

In contrary to many other street food, falafel is actually considered healthy food.

Falafels are fried small balls, usually made out of chickpeas. They contain protein, potassium and magnesium. And when deep fried, it includes relatively little fat.

Falafel is a very popular food in many Middle East countries. Lebanon, Egypt, and Israel all have their own version of how to make Falafel and how to eat it.

Lebanese falafel often uses a combination of fava beans and chickpeas. In Egypt it is traditional to use just fava beans, and in Israel they are made out of chickpeas.

Falafel can be served on a plate with side dishes. But it is commonly served in a pocket pita or wrapped in a flat pita (called Lafa) with some sort of salad, tahini, or hot sauce.
In Israel, they often include french fries in the pita as well.

The Falafel in Israel is so popular that there is even a falafel snack called Bisli, and many places compete over the title - Falafel king. There are no winners as everyone has their own favorite place where they like to eat Falafel.

Most Falafel restaurants own an automatic falafel machine, and making the perfect falafel balls is a breeze.

You just put falafel mix inside the machine, the machine shape the falafel mix into balls, and then throw them in deep boiling oil. Two more minutes and the falafel are hot and ready to eat.

But what if you want to make falafel in your house? Is there an easy way to reach the perfect shape of a falafel ball?

Actually there is. All you need is a simple kitchen gadget – A With this gadget you can scoop up the falafel mixture to form the balls, wipe off the excess mixture and then press it out into a pot of deep heated oil.

In general there are two ways to make falafel:

• The fast way – using boxed falafel mix. You can buy a ready mix at any Middle Eastern market. If you don't have one near your house there is no problem, as you can order it through the web. All you need to do is follow the instructions on the box. It will take only 2 minutes to prepare the mix, and five minutes to fry the balls.
• From scratch – It takes more time, but it worth the work. The chickpeas need to be soaked in water overnight and afterwards put inside a food processor. More mess and work but it will taste much better than a ready mix.

There are many falafel recipes. Each country has its own way of preparing falafel, and in every country you can find many versions of recipes.

We will suggest one falafel recipe which is very popular in Israel

Falafel Ingredients

1 Kg of dries chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
1 big head of garlic - cut to peeled cloves
2 onions cut to quarters
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped coriander (if you like)
1 tablespoon cumin spice
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon hot paprika
Salt, pepper
Oil for deep frying

Some recipes suggest adding flour to the mixture. But doing this will take some of the chickpeas flavor. So it is up to your personal preference

Preparation

• Wash the soaked chickpeas and put them in a food processor with the garlic, onion, parsley, and coriander. Grind until you get a rough moist texture. Add a little water if needed.
• Put the mixture into a large bowl; add baking soda and the rest of the ingredients.
• Warm the oil in a wide pot
• Make falafel balls with a falafel maker.
• Fry until you get a golden shade.
• Take the balls out with a slotted spoon.
• Serve hot!