Thursday, October 28, 2010

Falafel


This recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook. I have to say I was not sure about this recipe. I was worried that the chickpeas would not cook enough in the oil and frankly for a Southern girl I do not deep too many foods, so I was kind worried about burning down the house. In the end Mark Bittman did not let me down, as these were delicious. I am not including the calories on these as I am not sure how to calculate for the cooking oil. As always I have made some minor changes, but to learn what those you are going to have to buy the book!
1 3/4 cups dried chickpeas (will need to be soaked for 24 hours)
2 cloves of garlic
1 shallot, quartered
1 teaspoon ground corriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 scant teaspoon ground red pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
oil for frying
  1. Pour the beans into a large pot and cover them water, about 3 to 4 inches over. Soak for 24 hours. They will triple in size. Check them a couple of times to see if you need to add more water to keep the level at just about 3 to 4 inches above the chickpeas.
  2. Drain the beans well and transfer them to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients (except the oil, of course). Pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water (I did not need it) to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture on the dry side.
  3. Pour about 2 inches of oil into a very deep, but narrow saucepan. The narrower the pan, the less oil you will need. Heat the oil on medium heat until it reached 350°F or when a pinch of the batter sizzles immediately.
  4. While the oil heats, scoop out large spoon fulls of the batter and form them into balls or large patties. Set them near the oil on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Fry in small batches, without crowding until nicely browned, turning as needed; total cooking time 5 minutes per batch. Carefully remove each falafel from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
  5. Serve warm in pita bread with Tzatziki Sauce and feta cheese.

1 comment:

  1. This looks great. I like adding a bunch of fresh cilantro to the mixture as well (before pulsing).

    I haven't made felafel from scratch in a long while. It's one of the few foods I prefer to eat out (along with sushi).

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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