Imagine this: crispy, golden-brown balls of chickpeas, bursting with flavor and spices, filling your kitchen with the delightful aromas of the Middle East. Homemade falafel are not only a treat for your taste buds but also a nutritious and plant-based delight that fits perfectly into a healthy lifestyle. Whether you serve them as a side dish, in a warm pita with fresh vegetables and creamy tahini sauce, or as part of a colorful salad, these simple homemade falafel will surely surprise and entice you. Later in this article, we will also delve into the origin and history of these delicious golden-brown balls.

How to make homemade falafel?

Golden-brown falafel are not only delicious and healthy, but they are also very easy to make. You can prepare everything in advance, which avoids stress in the kitchen.

Preparations

Open the can of chickpeas and rinse them well under cold water. They need to drain well, so this is the first step.

Next, peel the shallot and garlic cloves. Chop them coarsely as they will go into the food processor later.

Also, chop the fresh cilantro coarsely. This will all go into the food processor. Now place the drained chickpeas, shallot, garlic, and fresh cilantro in the food processor. Add the tablespoons of flour and spices.

You can vary the spices to taste. More Eastern, more Western, spicier or milder, depending on your own taste buds. Mix everything in the food processor until you have a smooth dough. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides and mix the pieces well.

Remove the dough from the food processor and roll it into balls. Depending on the size, this will make about 20 to 25 falafel balls.

Place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour to cool and firm up. You can also leave them in the refrigerator overnight. Perfect for preparing in advance.

Cooking the homemade falafel balls

You can cook the homemade falafel balls in various ways. If you have a deep fryer, you can fry them in it. But if you don't have a deep fryer, you can simply fry them in a pan, which is what I usually do.

Cover the pan with about two millimeters of oil for frying. Heat it and fry the homemade falafel balls for about two minutes. Then turn them over and fry the other side until golden brown. Remove them from the pan and let them drain on a paper towel.

Serving homemade falafel balls

You can perfectly incorporate these homemade falafel into a salad. Another option is to serve them as a substitute for traditional meatballs. But I also like to make an appetizer out of them. Together with some halved cherry tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, and sesame paste, they present beautifully and are super tasty.

What are falafel? And where do they come from?

Falafel are typical of the Arab cuisine in the Middle East. I first encountered them during a trip to Jordan. The main ingredient is usually chickpeas. In Egypt, falafel are also very popular, but they are most often made from fava beans there.

Nowadays, many other vegetables are used to make these vegetarian falafel balls, such as sweet potato or cauliflower, for example.

Chickpeas are traditionally known as meat substitutes. They are also very healthy and contain proteins, fibers, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin B. However, you should be careful, as they are very high in calories and contain a lot of (unsaturated) fats.

Learn more about falafel in the following articles:

More surprising.Oriental

As mentioned earlier, I learned about the Oriental cuisine and its mezze during a trip to Jordan. Here are some more delicious dishes from that region:

More surprising.chickpeas

I always have one or more cans of chickpeas on stock in the kitchen. They are very tasty, nutritious, and you can make all sorts of things with them. Here are some of my favorites with chickpeas:

If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.