Falafel are a wonderful thing. Here’s how I make them.
You’ll need:
Put the sharp blade in your food processor. Drain a tin of chickpeas and add them to the food processor. Finely chop half a large onion (or a small onion) and add that together with a big bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) also finely chopped. Add three large cloves of garlic pushed through a garlic press (or very finely chopped).
Now put the lid on and pulse your processor. The mixture is going to get stuck up the sides so you’ll need to stop and squidge it back down. I also find it helps if I tip the processor over so the stuff clinging to the sides falls back into the blade. It doesn’t need to be super fine. It’s quite ok to have lumps of chickpea left in the mix.
Now get that squidger out again and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add 4 or 5 tablespoons of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds. Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (chilli powder) if you like a bit of heat. Half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix until the flour is absorbed.
Dip the Falafel maker in some water then push into the mixture and press against the side of the bowl. Press the Falafel out onto a plate. Here are my uncooked Falafel:
Put them in the fridge for half an hour or more. Then deep fry for about 6 minutes at about 180C.
Eat hot or cold. They are definitely best fresh from the frier.
Baylis Handmade 