A Middle Eastern platter is never complete without Falafel. It is believed to have originated in Egypt by Coptic Christians as a meat replacement during the period of lent. It is made out of chickpeas coarsely ground along with parsley, dill, coriander, onion and garlic. Here is a very easy recipe to whip up this delicacy in the comfort of your own kitchen. The options are many – serve it along with garlic yogurt, hummus, tahini, stuffed in a pita bread or sandwiches. Gather up the ingredients and let’s get cooking!!
Details
4 Servings
30 Minutes
20 Minutes
230 / Portion
Print
Ingredients
Chickpeas 200 gms
Parsley Leaves ( No stems) 25 gms
Coriander Leaves ( No stems) 25 gms
Dill ( No stems) Optional
Onion 50gms
Garlic 50 gms
Salt to taste
Black Pepper Powder to taste
Cumin Powder 10 gms
Coriander Powder 7 gms
Oil for frying
- For Garlic Yogurt dip
Garlic 10 gms
Cream 10 ml
Hung Curd or Greek Yogurt 100 gms
Lemon juice 2.5 ml
Salt to taste
Directions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight or more if required. When ready, drain the water completely and pat them dry to remove excess water.
- Combine the chickpeas, parsley, coriander, dill, onions, garlic, salt and spices to a food processor or mixer grinder and grind them into a coarse texture.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 2-3 hrs before cooking.
- Before frying, check the seasoning. Divide into equal balls and flatten them into round shape.
- Deep fry them on medium heat in oil for 5-6 minutes or until crisp from outside. Avoid adding too much falafel into the oil to prevent overcrowding. This may also result in lowering the heat of the oil and break apart the falafel.
- Transfer them into a paper tissue to remove excess oil.
- Serve them hot with garlic yogurt dip/ Hummus (see the Condiments section) or Tahini (roasted sesame seeds made into a paste by adding water).
- For Garlic yogurt Dip
- Fine chop the garlic and mix it with cream, hung curd or greek yogurt. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt.
Chef’s twist :-
For a healthier option, pan fry the falafels instead of deep frying.