Falafel

Falafel is an under appreciated comfort food that everyone should try. And I stand by that!

One of the best parts of falafel isn't just the crispiness of the

exterior and the soft interior, its also the harmony of spices that come together to create such a decadent comfort food. Eaten with hummus and a little harissa, there are few things as good!

It has been such an interesting and enjoyable experience traveling and trying foods that

have the same base ingredients but different outcomes. Falafel is one of those. Different countries across the middle east have different recipes for falafel and different styles for them as well but in every case, they make something delicious. These Jordanian styled falafel are so good you'll want to have them every day!

Recipe Details

Ingredients for Falafel:

• 1 cup of dried chickpeas (soak overnight)

• 1/2 cup of onions

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 1 cup of cilantro

• 1 cup of parsley

• 1 small serrano pepper

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 teaspoon of cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom

• 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour (all purpose is fine as well)

• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Description:

1. Before anything, it is important to get DRIED chickpeas and not the chickpeas that come in cans, otherwise it will not work out. Make sure to soak the dried chickpeas the night before preparing the falafel.

2. Once the chickpeas have had time to soak overnight, add them to a food processor along with the garlic, chopped onions, parsley, cilantro, the serrano pepper, salt, cumin, and the cardamom. Pulse all of the ingredients together until a homogenous, coarse consistency is achieved. The mixture should be wet enough that if rolled in a ball, it wont fall apart and the same applies for too dry. Adding a little water or flour where it is too dry or wet will return the mixture to an equal consistency.

3. For conveniency purposes, transfer everything to a bowl and mix in the chickpea flour and the baking soda. Mix until everything is equal dispersed. Let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Using an ice cream scooper or your hands, roll a golf ball sized ball and set aside. In a pot, add enough oil to fill about 2 inches and heat the oil until hot. Place the newly formed falafel balls into the hot oil and fry until golden which should take around 2 minutes.

5. Once golden, remove and place on a sheet covered in paper towels. Serve while warm so you can enjoy the crispy exterior and soft warm interior to the fullest!

Try it and Let Me Know What YOU think!

If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please send me a picture of what you make! I would love to see how other people interpret the recipe and if there are any additions that you made!