Lebanese Falafel Patties

In on December 6, 2015 with No Comments
Eaten almost everywhere in the Middle East and in parts of the Mediterranean region, falafel, is a deep-fried, flat ball made from ground chickpeas and commonly served in pita bread which acts as a pocket. There's a kind of mystique with falafel, and like many traditional foods, its origins are hard to trace. Below is a recipe for classic Lebanese Falafel Patties.

Info

Time 1 hour
Difficulty Intermediate
Servings 6

Ingredients

Falafel balls
1 cup Dried chickpeas (garbanzos) re-hydrated over-night
2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup Onion finely chopped, diced
1/4 cup Cilantro chopped, diced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 - 4 cups Sunflower oil Or use oil of your choice

   Lebanese Falafel Patties

Preparation

  1. Soak chickpeas in a large bowl covered by 2 inches of cold water at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Drain and rinse in a colander.
  2. Place chickpeas, garlic, onion, cilantro, and parsley in a bowl and mix with a large spoon. Slowly feed this mixture through a meat grinder using a grinding plate with large holes, then change to a smaller grinding plate and feed the mix through a second time. (You can also use food processor or blender and pulse all ingredients together but for me this is more time consuming and frustrating).
  3. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and add the cayenne, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper and mix with a large spoon until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  4. Use your hands and fingers to form the falafel mixture into silver dollar sized balls or, if you prefer, larger hamburger sized patties. (Patties are best pan fried).
  5. To cook, (DEEP FRY METHOD) Heat about 1 inch oil in a heavy pot or skillet (preferably cast-iron) until thermometer registers 340°F. Working in batches, gently drop 3 to 4 formed balls into hot oil, fry turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain. (PAN FRY METHOD) Form the falafel into a hamburger sized patties. Heat just enough oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry like a burger.

   Serving Suggestions

Serve with warm pita bread, your choice of Tahini sesame sauce, or Tzatziki yogurt sauce, and sliced tomato, onion, cucumber and cilantro.

Note, If your falafel crumbles or falls apart try adding 2-4 Tablespoons of garbanzo or other flour.