THE BEST FALAFEL RECIPE | crispy fried and baked falafel (vegan)
I've been teasing today'srecipe over on Instagram
for the last several weeks,
and that's because I madeit over and over again,
making sure that itwas absolutely perfect.
And now that it is, I'mhappy to share it with you.
So today, we are makingthe best falafel recipe
that you have ever tasted.
Falafel are little ballsof chickpea goodness
that are crispy on the outsideand soft on the inside.
They're a traditionalMiddle Eastern recipe,
they are naturally vegan,
and they are perfect on top of salads
or in wraps, in pita, or in sandwiches,
though I personally love them on salads
because it means you geta little extra greens.
I've had my fair share of falafel
on travels through Egypt,Israel, and Jordan.
And last year, when I was in Tel Aviv,
I got a behind-the-sceneslook at the falafel making
happening at the verypopular Hakosem restaurant
where crowds line up for their falafel
and their gluten-free pita.
So, with all of that inspiration,
let me show you how to makethe best falafel recipe.
To get started, you'll needone cup of dried chickpeas
and it is critical
that you do use driedchickpeas in this recipe
and not canned chickpeas,
as canned chickpeas are too soft and wet
and your falafel will notform properly if you use them.
You'll need to soak your chickpeas
for at least eight to 12 hours,
and this is easy to do overnight.
Just add them to a large bowl
and cover them with twoto three inches of water.
Remember that the chickpeaswill almost triple in size
so you do want plentyof water in the bowl.
The next morning,
you'll see how much yourchickpeas have expanded
and the water mightlook a little yellowish.
That's fine, just drainand rinse your chickpeas
and then add them to your food processor.
Dice up about a half a cup of yellow onion
and you just roughly chop this.
The food processor willdo much of the work,
but I find that it does help
to do a little chopping beforehand
to keep the texture consistent.
The best falafel recipes I've eaten
have always had heaps of herbs inside,
so we're adding a generous amount today.
Grab a large bunch of parsleyand then roughly chop it.
It should equal aboutone cup, lightly packed,
if you wanna double check,
and then add it to your food processor.
Next, we'll add cilantro,
and you want an equal amountof cilantro to parsley.
So, roughly chop your cilantro
and add that to yourfood processor as well.
Now, this is what I considerthe special ingredient
of this recipe, and it's a green pepper.
I'm using a small serrano pepper
but you could use a smalljalapeno pepper as well.
You don't want too much pepper,
just enough to add a kick of flavor
without overpowering the falafel.
If your pepper is biggerthan what you see here,
just use half of it,
but don't omit the pepperwithout trying it first.
And you'll just have totrust me on this one.
So, remove the seeds and membrane
from the inside of the pepper,
dice it up, and add itto the food processor.
Next, we'll add three cloves of garlic,
and do use fresh garlicrather than garlic powder
for the most robust flavor.
Again, you can always tweak
the amount of garlic to your liking.
So, just peel the garlic cloves
and toss them into thefood processor as well.
Now we'll add a couple of spices
that are often used inMiddle Eastern cooking
and which smell amazing,
and that includes one teaspoon of cumin,
one teaspoon of salt,
a half a teaspoon ofcardamom, which I love,
and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper.
Once everything is in your food processor,
add the lid, and thenpulse it several times,
scraping down the sides in between.
After you've done thisfor a minute or two,
you should have a mixture
that still has a littlebit of texture to it
but it also resembles coarse sand.
(mellow music)
Transfer the falafel doughmixture to a mixing bowl
and then add two tablespoonsof chickpea flour
and a half a teaspoon of baking soda.
These ingredients help tobind everything together
and make the falafel niceand fluffy on the inside.
I do have additional tipson the full blog post
if your mixture is too wet
or too dry and crumbly at this stage,
so make sure to check those out
if you need a little extra help.
Cover the bowl and thenrefrigerate the mixture
for 30 minutes to an hour so it can chill
and all of the flavors can melt together.
After it's chilledcomes the scooping part.
I'm using a medium cookiescoop, which I'll link to below,
and I love it as it helps
to keep all of your falafel the same size.
So, scoop the mixture into your hands
and form them into balls.
The ball should stick togetherbut they are a bit fragile,
so do be gentle with them.
Repeat this process untilyou've used up all of your dough
and just place the uncookedfalafel on a plate.
(mellow music)
Now, if you do preferthe flatter patty shape,
you can do this by hand as well.
I tend to scoop a little bitmore than I do for the balls,
and then just form them intopatty shapes with my hands.
The flatter shape is perfect for serving
in pita or sandwiches,
so it helps to think of howyou might serve the falafel
before you start shaping them.
When it comes to cooking falafel,
I'll show you three different methods.
The first is deep frying,
which is the most commonmethod used in restaurants,
but it does use the most oil.
And in terms of oil,
I'm using avocado oilas it's a high heat oil
and it's my personalfavorite oil to cook with,
but you could use a vegetable oil as well.
Heat the oil on medium heat
until the temperature reaches350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some websites recommend375 degrees, but I found
that this made the outsideof the falafel much darker
and I prefer a moregolden, crispy outside.
Once your oil has come to temperature,
gently drop your falafel balls in the oil
and let them cook for a minute or so.
Cook them in batches ofsix to eight at a time,
and I'll use my skimmer
to move them around a bit and take a peek
to make sure that they'renot getting too dark.
Once they look beautiful and golden,
we move them to a paper-towel-lined plate
and repeat the process.
(mellow music)
Now I'll show you how to pan-fry falafel,
and this method is greatas it uses less oil.
You only need a fewtablespoons of oil in a pan
and I prefer a cast iron pan for this.
Heat the oil to mediumhigh or until it sizzles
when you drop the firstfalafel in the pan.
Cook the falafel for two tothree minutes on each side
or until they're golden brown.
Then, transfer them to apaper-towel-lined plate.
(mellow music)
Our last method is baked falafel
and you'll start by preheating your oven
to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grab a baking sheet and either spray
or lightly brush it with oil.
Then add your falafel to the pan
and lightly coat the topsides with oil as well.
Cook them in the oven forabout 25 to 30 minutes
and flip them halfway through.
When they're done,
they should be just asgolden as the other methods.
(mellow music)
So here's my flatter, baked falafel,
my pan-fried falafel, andmy deep-fried falafel.
You can see that theylook pretty darn similar,
so it's really up to youon which method you prefer.
Falafel are best eaten warm
and while they're niceand crispy on the outside.
If you break one open,
you'll see that beautifulvibrant green color,
and I'll forewarn you thatthey are highly addictive.
Drizzle your falafel with tahini sauce,
which is a creamy andflavorful requirement,
and I have a separate recipefor that on my website,
downshiftology.com.
If you want to make a feast,
serve the falafel with my homemade hummus,
lentil salad, cauliflower rice tabbouleh,
and za'atar roasted cauliflower.
And I have separate videos for the hummus
and tabbouleh on this channel,
so make sure to watch those videos.
I hope you guys enjoy your falafels
and make sure to tag me on social media
when you whip them up becauseI would love to see them.
Are you ready for the best falafel you've ever tasted (whether fried or baked)? Falafel are delicious balls of chickpea and herb goodness that you find in Middle Eastern cooking. I've had my fair share of falafel on travels through Egypt, Israel and Jordan. I've had them in restaurants and on street corners (the best authentic street food). I've had them stuffed in gluten-free pita and on salads. And I've had them with slight variations and tweaks, though the recipe itself is fairly simple. But here's how you make the best falafel recipe - add tons of herbs (double the normal amount) and a small amount of green pepper. This makes for an addictive flavor that's "a little something extra" but not spicy. Just insanely delicious. Falafel are naturally vegan and vegetarian. You can then deep fry the falafel, pan fry or make baked falafel. It's up to you! Just don't forget to drizzle with my tahini sauce. ;) Enjoy! Falafel Recipe: http://bit.ly/32C96Zu Join the private Facebook group of fellow Downshifters around the world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/downshiftologycommunity/ PRODUCTS MENTIONED: Organic Chickpeas: https://amzn.to/2SpizOW Cookie Scoop: https://amzn.to/2XTl69Y Falafel Scoop: https://amzn.to/2XYvQiv Avocado Oil: https://amzn.to/32MIl4C Avocado Oil Spray: https://amzn.to/2SodaaV ALWAYS IN MY KITCHEN: Counter Stools: http://bit.ly/2tUNvZG Vitamix Blender: https://amzn.to/2NjFp75 Spiralizer: https://amzn.to/2N37WRy Tea Kettle: http://amzn.to/2uuNSMp Utensil Holder: http://bit.ly/2tVfGaH Flour Jars: http://bit.ly/2tV6C5y Knife Set: http://bit.ly/2tUGzMa Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/2Vskgv9 Glass Mixing Bowls: https://amzn.to/2L2hx6O For everything else I use in my videos, check out the SHOP page on my website: https://downshiftology.com/shop The music I use: https://bit.ly/2Ms5nF2 - Great music for YouTubers! WHAT I'M WEARING: T-Shirt: http://bit.ly/2O5NQIm AG Jeans: http://bit.ly/2EiNg1N Linen Apron: http://bit.ly/2twA32E WEBSITE: https://www.downshiftology.com INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/downshiftology FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/downshiftology PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/downshiftology Disclaimer: product links may include affiliate links. #falafel #falafelrecipe #vegan