Middle Eastern Felafels
Ingredients
- 800 g chickpeas drained, rinsed, dried
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh coriander roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint roughly chopped
- 2 tsp dried coriander seeds crushed
- 2 tsp dried cumin seeds crushed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper grounded
- ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse until well combined, yet slightly coarse. Do not overwork.
- Flour your hands and form small "patties" of roughly 3-4 cm across. Place the patties onto a well flour board. The mixture may be soft and slightly wet - the softer, the lighter in texture they will be.
- In a large, heavy-based skillet, heat a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the felafels until lightly browed on each side - this should take no more than 4 minutes. Serve with Tzatziki and pita bread.
Notes
Freezer tip: These felafels freeze perfectly and can be frozen cooked or uncooked. If you freeze them uncooked, allow to thaw before frying. If frozen cooked, allow to thaw, cover with foil and warm in a moderate oven.
Serving Tip: Felafels are the perfect canapés to serve at your Middle Eastern Meze alongside pita bread (or flatbread), Tzatziki, koftas and humus. See my "Middle Eastern Meze" post:
Felafels also make the perfect meat replacement for vegetarian and vegan dietary requirements.