Falafels are such a useful addition to meals; they are so easy to make, nutritious, packed with fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals and flavour. This is a basic recipe, but you can add different vegetables, herbs and spices. They make a really good store cupboard favourite, to have hot, cold, for main meals and packed lunches. Traditionally they are made with either chickpeas or dried fava beans. I like to mix up the peas and beans for different flavours and textures.
Testers and Tasters Feedback
“Straightforward and easy with mainly store cupboard ingredients.”
“Tasted so fresh with the lemon and coriander, also loved the turmeric as well as the cumin.”
“Instructions very clear and logical, plenty of swaps to choose from so was easy to adapt to suit my store cupboard.”
“Pleased to find a falafel recipe with good texture that didn’t need deep frying. Think adding other vegetables would be nice, as suggested.”
Photo:
Food made by Alison Firth, Tester and Taster
Photo by Francesca Consiglio
Served with cashew and Preserved Lemon sauce/dip in Sides and Sauces
Makes 6-8 falafel
Plants: 10
Preparation: 20-30 minutes Cooking: 10-25 minutes
GF V NF DF
Swaps
Broad Beans: Use just chickpeas or just fava/broad beans.
Tinned cooked chickpeas can be used but make sure the mixture isn’t too wet add extra flour if necessary.
Dried Broad Beans/Fava Beans: use other pea or bean flour, or 100% chickpeas.
Options
Use other peas such as carlin peas, black eyed peas for different flavour.
Add chilli or harissa paste if you like a bit of spice.
Add 60-100g of vegetables such as sweet potato, squash, peppers, this will give a softer texture and add different flavours.
Tips
Freeze the falafel before cooking it helps them bind together better.
If the mixture squeezes easily through your fingers when shaping it is too wet add some chickpea or pea flour to bind the mixture.
If when you have shaped them, they fall apart they are too dry add a little more liquid. If using tinned chickpeas use the aquafaba (liquid from the tin).
Freezing
Freeze before or after cooking.
Ingredients
200g of dried chickpeas soaked overnight
Half an onion finely chopped
100g dried broad beans/fava beans soaked overnight
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp of fresh or frozen parsley
2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil for cooking
Method
In a food processor or with a stick blender add all the ingredients together and blend until everything is mixed together well but leaving some texture.
Cooking Options:
Oven:
Heat the oven 200C, 180C fan, 400F, Gas 7
Brush with EVOO either side and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10-15 minutes and turn and bake for another 10-15 minutes until they are thoroughly heated through and beginning crisp on the outside.
Air Fry:
Air fry at 175C for about 5 minutes each side or until they are firm and beginning to crisp on the outside.
Fry:
Heat EVOO in a frying pan on a medium heat and fry each side for about 4-5 minutes.
Options
Coat in Sesame seeds or quinoa flakes
to make the outside crispier.
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