Falafel

From Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookery, David Scott, Rider, 1981.

Still on my Middle Eastern cookery binge I decided to make falafel. I soaked 100g chickpeas in boiling water and let them stand for an hour. I then drained the peas and placed them in a saucepan with water to cover. They were cooked for a little over an hour until they were soft. They were then pureed in the blender.

This chickpea puree was mixed with a finely chopped onion, a chopped garlic clove and a goodly amount of chopped parsley. I actually put all of these items in the blender and let it do the chopping. I now added ½ teaspoon both ground cumin and ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon each of turmeric, cayenne and baking powder.  Salt and pepper were added to taste. The mixture was left for half an hour.

It was now formed into balls but I had doubts about whether they would hold together while they were fried. I tried one ball and doubts were confirmed. So I added a beaten egg to the mixture to make it hold. It was now somewhat sticky so the balls were rolled in flour before they were fried.

I have always been a fan of falafel though never made it before. I was happy with the result, especially when eaten with the falafel relish that I also made.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔