Levantine Chickpea Falafel

Method

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas very well and spread them on a clean towel to dry. Wet chickpeas make a loose mixture that won’t hold together.
2. Pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in a food processor. Scrape down the sides several times. Stop when the mixture is coarse, damp and holds together when squeezed, not a smooth paste; over-processing releases starch and makes the falafel dense.
3. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. This firms it up and reduces breakage in the oil.
4. Fold in the baking soda just before frying, not before. Working it in too early lets it lose its lift before the falafel ever hit the oil.
5. Heat the oil to 175 to 190°C in a deep, heavy pot. Shape the mixture into 4 cm balls or thick disks, about 30 g each; press a few sesame seeds onto the outside if using.
6. Fry in small batches, without crowding the pot, for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp all over.
7. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel-lined tray. Serve hot.

Notes

• Dried chickpeas, soaked but never boiled, are the one rule that matters most. Cooked or tinned chickpeas hold too much moisture and turn the mixture pasty; it will taste fine but fall apart the moment it hits the oil.
• Pulse to a coarse, crumbly texture, not a smooth hummus-like paste. Counterintuitively, a smoother grind is the less stable one; it releases more starch and moisture and is more prone to breaking apart while frying.
• Baking soda does double duty, it keeps the beans a little more tender through the soak and helps the raw centre actually cook through in a short fry. A pinch too much causes over-expansion and cracking, so measure it rather than eyeballing it.
• If a squeezed portion won’t hold together, don’t reach for extra flour. More filler dries the centre out rather than fixing the actual problem, which is usually under-processing, insufficient rest, or chickpeas that weren’t dried enough after soaking.
• Oil temperature is the difference between crisp-outside-tender-inside and greasy or scorched. Too hot browns the surface before the centre cooks; too cool lets the falafel soak up oil and turn heavy. A thermometer is worth using here.

Ingredient substitutions

• Fresh dill or mint, in place of a portion of the parsley, for a different but still traditional herb balance.
• Serve in warm pita with tahini sauce and a chopped salad, or on a plate with hummus and pickles.

Sources consulted

• Palestine In A Dish: Authentic Chickpea Falafel
• Chef Tariq: Falafel, the crispy traditional way
• The Mediterranean Dish: Why Your Falafel Falls Apart

Good with

• Smooth hummus
• Tahini lemon dressing
• Toum

From Christoph Mayer

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