If you’re craving some crispy falafel, you’ve come to the right place. Falafel is a vegan dish typically found in Middle Eastern cuisine. This authentic falafel recipe is easy to make and you only need a few ingredients.
To make falafel, the most important ingredient you need is chickpeas. We recommend that you only buy certified organic ingredients to avoid pesticides finding their way onto your plate.
Easy Falafel Recipe: The Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make about 15 homemade vegan falafel balls:
- 7 oz. dried chickpeas
- 1 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- Fresh coriander and parsley
- Cumin
- 1/2 lemon
- Olive oil for frying
Note: Yes, we said easy falafel recipe. However, we recommend you start the night before by soaking dried chickpeas overnight. The consistency of the falafel mix will turn out best if you use dried chickpeas because the pre-cooked kind contains too much liquid. When soaking your chickpeas, remember to swap the water several times and pour it out afterwards to get rid of Phasin, a toxin contained in raw legumes such as chickpeas. If you can only get your hands on canned chickpeas, add a few tablespoons of flour to get the right consistency.
Homemade Vegan Falafel: Preparation
- Before you prepare the falafel dough, you need to let the dried chickpeas soak overnight.
- Drain the water and rinse the chickpeas.
- Peel the onion and the two garlic cloves.
- Use a food processor, a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer to blend the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and the juice of half a lemon.
- Mix until you get a creamy texture.
- Stir in cumin, coriander, and salt.
- Wet your hands with some water, then shape the dough into small balls.
- Add oil to a frying pan and wait until it gets hot.
- To finish your homemade falafel, fry the falafel balls on all sides for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown. Your meal is ready to be served!
Tip: Vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. To reduce the fat intake, you can use the oven or an air fryer instead of a frying pan for our easy falafel recipe.
Note: Do not taste the raw dough! Raw chickpeas contain Phasin, a toxin that you get rid of by heating them. Also, try to avoid cookware that leaches chemicals into your food, for instance by using a high-quality frying pan that does not release toxins. A cast-iron skillet is a good option for frying and you can buy it on Amazon**.
Wondering what to serve with your homemade falafel? Try a vegan spread, vegan feta cheese, or some (plant-based) yoghurt with minced garlic. This dish also tastes great with fried vegetables such as eggplant or zucchini.
This article was translated from German by Sharon Hodge. You can view the original here: Falafel-Rezept: Das Original
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