Falafel Recipe

Falafel in one form or other is made throughout the Middle East, from Egypt through Israel and the Levant to Iran and Iraq.

This is a classic broad (fava) bean version that is based on an Israeli recipe, but which has a couple of Egyptian twists.

Whatever the origin, this is a great tasting recipe that can be used as a vegetarian burger, as a snack for dipping in dips or which can be wrapped in flatbread with salad as a main course.

Falafel

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

250g (1/2 lb) dried, skinless, broad (fava) beans, soaked over night in a large bowl of water
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp baking powder
200g (7 oz) fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
groundnut oil or sunflower oil, for deep frying

Method:

Drain and rinse the beans. Place in a food processor and add the onion, garlic, cumin, ground coriander seeds, allspice cayenne pepper and baking powder. Process the mixture until almost smooth (it should be a little grainy).

Add the parsley and coriander. Blitz briefly to combine (you want the herbs only coarsely chopped, but distributed throughout the mixture). Scrape the mixture into a bowl and set aside to rest for 60 minutes.

Take tablespoons of the mixture and shape into flat rounds about 5cm (2 in) in diameter. Continue this shaping process until all the mixture has been used up.

Heat oil to a depth of 1cm in a large non-stick frying pan. When the oil is hot, add a single layer of the falafel and fry until golden brown and crisp on one side. Turn them over and cook until crisp on the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Repeat this process until all the falafel have been fried.