- Makes 24-26 falafels
- Preparation Time 15 Minutes, plus soaking and chilling
- Cooking Time deep fried 5 Minutes
- 25-30 Minutes oven bakes
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free
Before I became a vegan I had never touched a falafel. I considered them a kind of hippy food, how misguided I was. Becoming a vegan has opened my eyes and has definitely made me more adventurous with food. Now I love these little aromatically spiced crispy nuggets, heady with coriander and cumin. There is always a supply in my freezer now ready in waiting.
Traditionally falafels are deep-fried to make them wonderfully crispy. We all know that this is not the best for our waistline. I wanted a recipe that could be fried or oven-baked and this one works so well both ways. They are so good in a warm split pitta bread with salad a tangy dressing.
Ingredients
- 180g dried chickpeas
- 1/2 large white onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of chili flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 230 ml oil if deep frying, if not a tablespoon of oil or spray oil.
Instructions
- First soak the chickpeas in a large bowl of cold water for 24 hours, changing the water twice. Drain and rinse then leave to drain again.
- Using a food processor with an S blade attachment, add the chickpeas and blitz down until they have the texture of coarse sand.
- This can be done in two batches if your processor is not that big.
- Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the oil and blend until the mixture becomes a paste.
- Scrape into a bowl and cover with clingfilm and place into the fridge for around an hour or overnight.
- Roll the falafel mix in damp hands into balls the size of walnuts and set aside.
- Once they are all done if you are deep frying cook in batches in hot oil for 4-5 minutes and remove and set aside onto a plate covered in kitchen roll to drain any excess oil off.
- For a healthier option and the one I prefer, is to oven bake them. They still require a little oil just to crisp them up. Place a small amount of olive oil or a generous helping of light spray onto a non-stick baking sheet, making sure it is coated. Place the balls on it and flatten slightly into discs. Cook in a preheated oven 200C for about 25-30 minutes turning over halfway through cooking.
Freeze for 3 months from cooked and can be stored in the fridge for 5 days
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