Authentic Chickpea Falafel The Best I Have Ever Had

Authentic Chickpea Falafel فلافل sandwich consists of tahini sauce, pickles, and tomatoes. This is one of the best sandwiches one can ever have. Falafel is considered to be one of the most famous staple street foo. Not only popular in Palestine but also across the middle east and nowadays it’s becoming popular in the US as well. The staple of the Middle East is as contested as the region, with different peoples claiming it as their own.

When I first moved to the US my aunt (khalti) my mother’s sister, was always supplying me with falafel. She often would have bags of previously frozen falafel mix which I kept in my freezer. I would defrost and fry every time I felt like having some. It is one of the best falafel I have ever had. One of my other favorite sandwiches is a Grilled Chicken Shawarma Wrap.

In Palestine, people rarely make falafel at home. Every time we felt like having some, we would get freshly fried falafel from numerous places available around town.

Food is one of the things that connect us to our roots, our culture, and our heritage. So when we are far away from home we always look for ways to make us feel closer to our homes, and food is one of them.

So here is how to make your falafel following khalti’s recipe:

I’ve seen recipes where people mix bread and I’m like oh no no no please don’t ruin it. The primary ingredient of any falafel is dried hummus (chickpeas), then comes parsley.

First you soak the hummus (chickpeas) in water overnight or at least 8 hours. It is highly recommended to use dried chickpeas and not canned. Canned chickpeas will be too soft and watery and will not form the required shape and break when frying.

Rinse the hummus and place it in a food processor. Add all the ingredients except for oil (parsley, onions, garlic, potatoes (khalti says the potato can make it a bit crunchier) cumin powder, coriander powder, and baking powder. Blend everything well until you have formed a paste.

Begin shaping the falafel into balls by either using your hands or a falafel tool if available you can use an ice cream spoon as an alternative.

Heat oil in a pan over high heat until very hot. Fry the falafel in batches of 4-5 at a time (depending on the size of your pan) for about 6-8 minutes. Turn the falafel occasionally once the falafel is browned take it out and place them on a paper towel.

Enjoy the falafel with tahini sauce on warped-in Arabic bread. My favorite combination is a falafel sandwich with lots of tahini sauce, cucumber pickles, tomatoes and shatta (hot sauce).

The recipe makes about ¾ of a pound. If you do not intend to fry all of the mix you can store it in zip lock bags or air-tight containers in the freezer for about 3-6 months. You only need to defrost for a couple of hours prior to frying.

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