I've been teasing today's
recipe over on Instagram for the last several weeks, and that's because I made
it over and over again, making sure that it
was absolutely perfect. And now that it is, I'm
happy to share it with you. So today, we are making
the best falafel recipe that you have ever tasted. Falafel are little balls
of chickpea goodness that are crispy on the outside
and soft on the inside. They're a traditional
Middle Eastern recipe, they are naturally vegan, and they are perfect on top of salads or in wraps, in pita, or in sandwiches, though I personally love them on salads because it means you get
a little extra greens. I've had my fair share of falafel on travels through Egypt,
Israel, and Jordan. And last year, when I was in Tel Aviv, I got a behind-the-scenes
look at the falafel making happening at the very
popular Hakosem restaurant where crowds line up for their falafel and their gluten-free pita. So, with all of that inspiration, let me show you how to make
the best falafel recipe. To get started, you'll need
one cup of dried chickpeas and it is critical that you do use dried
chickpeas in this recipe and not canned chickpeas, as canned chickpeas are too soft and wet and your falafel will not
form properly if you use them. You'll need to soak your chickpeas for at least eight to 12 hours, and this is easy to do overnight. Just add them to a large bowl and cover them with two
to three inches of water. Remember that the chickpeas
will almost triple in size so you do want plenty
of water in the bowl. The next morning, you'll see how much your
chickpeas have expanded and the water might
look a little yellowish. That's fine, just drain
and rinse your chickpeas and then add them to your food processor. Dice up about a half a cup of yellow onion and you just roughly chop this. The food processor will
do much of the work, but I find that it does help to do a little chopping beforehand to keep the texture consistent. The best falafel recipes I've eaten have always had heaps of herbs inside, so we're adding a generous amount today. Grab a large bunch of parsley
and then roughly chop it. It should equal about
one cup, lightly packed, if you wanna double check, and then add it to your food processor. Next, we'll add cilantro, and you want an equal amount
of cilantro to parsley. So, roughly chop your cilantro and add that to your
food processor as well. Now, this is what I consider
the special ingredient of this recipe, and it's a green pepper. I'm using a small serrano pepper but you could use a small
jalapeno pepper as well. You don't want too much pepper, just enough to add a kick of flavor without overpowering the falafel. If your pepper is bigger
than what you see here, just use half of it, but don't omit the pepper
without trying it first. And you'll just have to
trust me on this one. So, remove the seeds and membrane from the inside of the pepper, dice it up, and add it
to the food processor. Next, we'll add three cloves of garlic, and do use fresh garlic
rather than garlic powder for the most robust flavor. Again, you can always tweak the amount of garlic to your liking. So, just peel the garlic cloves and toss them into the
food processor as well. Now we'll add a couple of spices that are often used in
Middle Eastern cooking and which smell amazing, and that includes one teaspoon of cumin, one teaspoon of salt, a half a teaspoon of
cardamom, which I love, and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper. Once everything is in your food processor, add the lid, and then
pulse it several times, scraping down the sides in between. After you've done this
for a minute or two, you should have a mixture that still has a little
bit of texture to it but it also resembles coarse sand. (mellow music) Transfer the falafel dough
mixture to a mixing bowl and then add two tablespoons
of chickpea flour and a half a teaspoon of baking soda. These ingredients help to
bind everything together and make the falafel nice
and fluffy on the inside. I do have additional tips
on the full blog post if your mixture is too wet or too dry and crumbly at this stage, so make sure to check those out if you need a little extra help. Cover the bowl and then
refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to an hour so it can chill and all of the flavors can melt together. After it's chilled
comes the scooping part. I'm using a medium cookie
scoop, which I'll link to below, and I love it as it helps to keep all of your falafel the same size. So, scoop the mixture into your hands and form them into balls. The ball should stick together
but they are a bit fragile, so do be gentle with them. Repeat this process until
you've used up all of your dough and just place the uncooked
falafel on a plate. (mellow music) Now, if you do prefer
the flatter patty shape, you can do this by hand as well. I tend to scoop a little bit
more than I do for the balls, and then just form them into
patty shapes with my hands. The flatter shape is perfect for serving in pita or sandwiches, so it helps to think of how
you might serve the falafel before you start shaping them. When it comes to cooking falafel, I'll show you three different methods. The first is deep frying, which is the most common
method used in restaurants, but it does use the most oil. And in terms of oil, I'm using avocado oil
as it's a high heat oil and it's my personal
favorite oil to cook with, but you could use a vegetable oil as well. Heat the oil on medium heat until the temperature reaches
350 degrees Fahrenheit. Some websites recommend
375 degrees, but I found that this made the outside
of the falafel much darker and I prefer a more
golden, crispy outside. Once your oil has come to temperature, gently drop your falafel balls in the oil and let them cook for a minute or so. Cook them in batches of
six to eight at a time, and I'll use my skimmer to move them around a bit and take a peek to make sure that they're
not getting too dark. Once they look beautiful and golden, we move them to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat the process. (mellow music) Now I'll show you how to pan-fry falafel, and this method is great
as it uses less oil. You only need a few
tablespoons of oil in a pan and I prefer a cast iron pan for this. Heat the oil to medium
high or until it sizzles when you drop the first
falafel in the pan. Cook the falafel for two to
three minutes on each side or until they're golden brown. Then, transfer them to a
paper-towel-lined plate. (mellow music) Our last method is baked falafel and you'll start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab a baking sheet and either spray or lightly brush it with oil. Then add your falafel to the pan and lightly coat the top
sides with oil as well. Cook them in the oven for
about 25 to 30 minutes and flip them halfway through. When they're done, they should be just as
golden as the other methods. (mellow music) So here's my flatter, baked falafel, my pan-fried falafel, and
my deep-fried falafel. You can see that they
look pretty darn similar, so it's really up to you
on which method you prefer. Falafel are best eaten warm and while they're nice
and crispy on the outside. If you break one open, you'll see that beautiful
vibrant green color, and I'll forewarn you that
they are highly addictive. Drizzle your falafel with tahini sauce, which is a creamy and
flavorful requirement, and I have a separate recipe
for that on my website, downshiftology.com. If you want to make a feast, serve the falafel with my homemade hummus, lentil salad, cauliflower rice tabbouleh, and za'atar roasted cauliflower. And I have separate videos for the hummus and tabbouleh on this channel, so make sure to watch those videos. I hope you guys enjoy your falafels and make sure to tag me on social media when you whip them up because
I would love to see them.
