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: ✔✔✔
