Green Falafel
The classic chickpea dough pushed as far toward herbs as it can go, parsley, cilantro, dill and baby spinach all at once, so the falafel comes out a deep, near-black green all the way through rather than just green-flecked. Where the Levantine original treats herbs as a flavour note, this treats them as most of the bulk, which changes the flavour toward something greener and more vegetal without losing the fried, crackling shell that makes it falafel.
Prep40 min
Cook20 min
Rest750 min
Servings6
A classic chickpea falafel dough pushed toward a much higher ratio of parsley, cilantro, dill and spinach for a deeply green interior.
Ingredients
Written for a 3 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Falafel
- 280 g dried chickpeas, soaked in plenty of cold water for 12 to 24 hours, never cooked or tinned rounded
- 50 g yellow onion, roughly chopped rounded
- 3 garlic cloves rounded
- 60 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems, dried thoroughly after washing rounded
- 40 g fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, dried thoroughly after washing rounded
- 25 g fresh dill, fronds rounded
- 60 g baby spinach, thoroughly dried rounded
- 6 g ground cumin rounded
- 3 g ground coriander rounded
- 10 g fine salt rounded
- 3 g baking soda rounded
- 20 g chickpea flour, as needed, to firm a mixture loosened by the volume of herbs and spinach rounded
- to taste neutral oil, for deep frying rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Drain the soaked chickpeas very well and spread them on a clean towel to dry.
- Pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dill, spinach, cumin, coriander and salt in a food processor. Scrape down the sides several times. Stop when the mixture is coarse and holds together when squeezed; it will look noticeably wetter and greener than a classic falafel dough at this stage.
- If the mixture feels loose, work in the chickpea flour a little at a time until it holds its shape when squeezed. The much higher volume of herbs and spinach here brings more moisture than the classic ratio, so check this every time rather than assuming the amount above is exact.
- Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Fold in the baking soda just before frying.
- Heat the oil to 175 to 190°C in a deep, heavy pot. Shape the mixture into 4 cm balls, about 30 g each.
- Fry in small batches, without crowding the pot, for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp all over.
- Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel-lined tray. Serve hot.
Notes
- This pushes herbs from a flavour note to most of the bulk, on purpose. A classic falafel is green-flecked; this one is green throughout, and the flavour shifts with it toward something more vegetal and fresh, less dominated by cumin.
- Dry every leaf thoroughly before it goes into the processor. Between the parsley, cilantro, dill and spinach, there’s a lot of surface area holding water; wet herbs are the single biggest reason this version turns loose and hard to shape.
- Check the dough’s texture before committing to the full batch. Because herb and spinach moisture varies more than a single vegetable would, fry one test falafel first and adjust the chickpea flour if it falls apart.
- Don’t confuse this with a beetroot or other vegetable-forward falafel. The point here is concentrated herb flavour, not a different base ingredient; keep the classic falafel spicing rather than reaching for something sweeter or earthier.
Ingredient substitutions
- Baby kale or arugula, in place of the spinach, for a slightly more peppery green.
- A squeeze of lemon zest in the mixture brightens the herb flavour further.
- Serve with a simple yogurt-tahini sauce, which plays better against the herb-forward flavour here than a straight lemon tahini alone.
Sources consulted
- The Little Ferraro Kitchen: Green Falafel with Herbs and Spinach
- The Mediterranean Dish: Why Your Falafel Falls Apart
Good with
Sources consulted
From Christoph Mayer