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Best Falafel

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Recipe Summary Best Falafel

Sure, you can make falafel from a mix but frankly, it's a far cry from authentic falafel. This is the best falafel recipe I know of. You can find dried fava beans in Middle Eastern grocery stores and some supermarkets. Serve with pita bread, tahini sauce, lettuce, and other chopped vegetables.

Ingredients | Best Sporkful Episodes

1 cup dried fava beans

water as needed

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup vegetable oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

Place fava beans in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Soak for 2 days, changing the water daily (in hot weather change the water twice daily).

Soak chickpeas on the second day in a separate bowl in plenty of cold water.

Drain beans and chickpeas and rinse under cold running water; drain again. Remove the skins from the fava beans and discard them. Do not skip that step or the falafel will not taste good.

Combine fava beans, chickpeas, onion, garlic, and parsley leaves in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until pureed, scraping the sides often to ensure everything is evenly processed to a smooth paste. Add cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a bowl; cover and let mixture rest for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet or a large tray with waxed paper.

Shape the mixture into 25 to 30 evenly sized patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch between them. Let rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Pour oil into the bottom of a large skillet until it just covers the bottom. Heat until oil is hot enough to sizzle a breadcrumb.

Carefully lift the falafel from the waxed paper using a spatula. Fry a few falafel at a time and do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry until crisp and brown on the underside, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip, and fry on the other side until browned, another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to a baking sheet. Place the finished falafel in the preheated oven to keep warm while you fry the rest, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Do not substitute other beans such as kidney beans or cannellini beans for the dried fava beans and chickpeas. In their raw or undercooked stage, these other beans contain the toxin phytohemagglutinin, which causes severe illness.

Info | Best Sporkful Episodes

prep: 30 mins cook: 20 mins additional: 2 days total: 2 days Servings: 6 Yield: 30 falafel

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