Classic Crispy Falafel

Submitted by VegeMight

"I love burghul (cracked wheat) in falafel. These are delicious as a pita bread filling with tabbouleh and hommous. Prep time does not include soaking for the chickpeas or bulghur."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 20-25 falafels

ingredients

• 300 g chickpeas
• 4 tablespoons bulgur
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground red chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon tahini

directions

1. Soak chickpeas in water to cover for 12 hours.
2. Boil in large saucepan for about 20 minutes, until soft (or you can use canned chickpeas, if desired).
3. Drain and blend in food processor to a smooth paste.
4. Soak bulghur in water to cover for 1 hour.
5. Crush garlic with salt.
6. Combine all ingredients except oil.
7. Shape into balls and shallow-fry until brown (you can deep-fry if you like, or coat lightly with oil and bake until golden).
8. The yield depends on the size of the falafels you prefer.

Reviews

[J M.]

Yummy, yummy! The recipe doesn't say how many tins of chickpeas make 300g, but I used 2 tins and the quantity was perfect for about 5 people. Love the garlic - delicious with cucumber/tomato salad and tabouli with fresh garden parsley and mint. (I swiped the bulgur from the tabouli bowl!). Dunno if the bulgur is an essential ingredient; there really wasn't much of it in there... but I guess it can't hurt! :-)

 

[Veronica144]

Really good falafel! I changed a few things according to our taste and what I had on hand. I increased chick peas to 2 cups and omitted the bulgur since I didn't have any. I doubled the garlic and tahini. I didn't have ground coriander so I used dried cilantro. Omitted peppers (DH allergic), cumin and egg (we're vegan). Also, halved the salt. We are falafel lovers and this end result was really nice. The egg really isn't necessary, so for those that are watching their fat/cholesterol intake or are vegan, feel free to substitute a tablespoon or two of water if you find that your mix is too dry. It should be just fine though...we've never used eggs and have been making falafels for years. I'll try it with the bulgur next time. Thanks for posting~ I'll update when I make it with bulgur. =)

 

[ARJBoulanger]

Most excellent! Dear Hubby was blown away. This is delicious and easy. I used 1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans. ( I used Goya. The label listed the weight as 439 g but after rinsing and draining the beans weighed just under the 300g that the recipe called for.) I also didn't soak the bulgur for the whole hour. I gave it a few minutes on the counter then zapped it in the microwave. All the other seasonings were per recipe. Fantastic! Never buying another box or pouch at the store again. Thank you for posting!

 

[Nikoma]

THANK YOU! I have tried so many falafel recipes, and been let down time and time again. This is the recipe I will use from now on, no more searching! :D I used canned chicks as well - 2 cans. I forgot the tahini (oops, will def add next time!) Other then that stuck to the recipe. I would add a little more cumin the next time. Other then that perfect!! They held together beautifully, cooked evenly, and had great flavor!

 

[DexterandLiz]

We have an extremely good falafel place around the corner from my home, so my standards are pretty high. I thought these were delicious. What a great recipe! I baked mine in the oven at 200 degres celsius, but as they didn't turn golden I chucked them in the fry pan as well. It wasn't until I tried one that I realised they didn't even need it. They were crispy even though they just looked a bit dry. Baking is definitely a great option. Thanks so much for sharing!