Our Favorite Felafel
A friend from school wanted this recipe so I thought I’d post it as well. This is taken directly from this classic.
Prep time: 30 Min (including cooking) and yields about 24 2-inch Felafel. Allow 4 to 6 per serving.
Felafel are small, spcy chick pea patties. They are almost always topped with Tahini-Lemon Sauce (cf. 103 of the same cookbook), and served either in a sandwich with Pita Bread, or as an appetizer, either alone, or on a Mezza. Traditionally, Felafel are deep-friend, but they are equally good - and satisfyingly crisp - if pan-friend in a very hot skillet with a small amount of oil.
Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked chick peas (ok to use canned. Two 15oz cans will provide the right amount).
4 med. cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup finely minced onion or 6 scallions, minced
1/4 cup (packed) minced parsely
1/4 cup water
1 tbs. lemon juice
a few dashes of cayenne
1/3 cup flour
oil for frying
Directions for cooking:
- Rinse the chick peas, and drain them well
- Combine all ingredients except flour in a food processor or a medium-sized bowl and process - or mash - until you have a uniform batter.
- Add flour, and stir until thoroughly combined. You can cook the Felafel right away, or store the batter in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for several days.
- Heat in a heavy skillet and add about 3 Tbs oil. When it is hot enough to sizzle a bread crumb on contact, drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan, flattening each slightly, like a small, thick pancake. Saute for about 10 min. on each side, until golden and crisp. Add small amounts of extra oil to the pan as need through out the cooking.
- Place the cooked Felafel on a plate lined with paper [or clean clothe] towels [to help remove the oil], and, if necessary, keep warm in a 300F. oven until serving time.
The way we like to eat this is with a nice green garden salad (with veggies from the farmer’s market), Tahini and hummus with Pita bread.
