Falafel

Ingredients

Prep time: 90+ minutes

Cooking time: 20 min

• 2 cups dry chickpeas (uncooked, raw)

• 1 medium onion cubed

• 2 tbs ground cumin

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1/2c parsley chopped (packed lightly)

• 1 tbs ground coriander (powder)

• 1 tbs kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (optional, if needed)

• Safflower oil (for frying)

Preparation

1. Rehydrate chickpeas by soaking them in a large, uncovered, bowl filled with water

2. After the chickpeas have soaked overnight, drain completely and rinse well

3. Combining in a food processor. This is a critical step as the final texture here will make or break your falafel! We recommend batching in thirds to avoid overloading the food processor and ensuring you get the right texture. Transfer 1/3 of each of the following ingredients to the food processor: chickpeas, chopped onion, garlic, coriander powder, cumin, salt and parsley.

4. Process until you have a coarse texture. We recommend we recommend blending for 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides and then blending for another 10-20 seconds. It should not be a paste, but should resemble quinoa. Repeat this 2 more times until all ingredients are processed. It is critical that the mixture bind to itself when packed into a ball so it holds its shape during frying. If you cannot get it to bind to itself, additional processing may be required. If after additional processing, the mixture still does not bind add up to 2 tbs flour and incorporate with a spoon.

5. Refrigerate mixture for at least an hour, however you can pre-make this and store it for up to a day.

6. Remove mixture from fridge and form your falafel - they should be between the size of a golf and ping pong ball. The trick to forming falafel is a light touch. You want to gently form the balls, applying minimal pressure - too much pressure will make your falafel crumble!

Frying

1. Add oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat until the oil is between 325-350F. Oil should be high enough to cover the falafel half way. We recommend using safflower oil for the best results.

2. When your oil reaches the proper temperature, add falafel and browning until golden. Using two forks GENTLY turn the falafel to cook evenly on all sides.

3. When your falafel are golden brown, remove from oil and place on paper towel to soak up excess oil.

4. Cool and serve with tahini sauce, or your favorite dip!