Grilled Falafel

justcallmetoni's Note:

I love falafel but rarely eat it given that most kinds are fried. Just found this on the Internet and it looks like a wonderful option.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaf
• 1 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs
• 4 pita bread , whole-wheat or white
• 4 pieces green lettuce
• 4 slices tomatoes

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until the onion is soft and the garlic golden, about 4 minutes. Let cool.
2. Place the sautéed onion in a blender or food processor. Add the chickpeas. Pulse to coarsely chop the beans. Add cilantro, parsley, rice, curry and cayenne. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and evenly distributed. Turn the mixture into a bowl.
3. Add the juice and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Have the remaining bread crumbs ready in a shallow dish or bowl. With your hands, knead the chickpea mixture until it is like a moist dough. Scooping up 1/4 cup at a time, form the chickpea mixture into patties. Coat lightly with remaining breadcrumbs. Repeat, making eight 3-inch patties.
4. Heat the grill, griddle, or cast iron skillet. Brush lightly with oil. Place the patties down an inch apart. Cook 4 minutes, until brown in spots. Turn and cook another 4 minutes, to brown lightly on second side. Or, heat the broiler and place the falafel in a shallow foil-lined pan. Broil 3 minutes, turn and cook on the other side for 3 minutes. Serve immediately on whole-wheat pita with lettuce and sliced tomato.

Reviews

[Odd Job]

yum! i wasn't exact with the measurements -- i just kinda eyeballed it and added a little extra garlic and cilantro (i'm a garlic fiend!) and it was fantastic.

[CongoGirl]

Wow! I loved this, and I'm pretty picky about my falafel, having eaten lots of the "real" thing when I lived in Israel. I was skeptical about the rice, but I didn't notice it at all when it was cooked. Even my husband gave it the "you can make this again" evaluation, which is high praise from him. Like another reviewer, I also omitted the cilantro and doubled the parsley. I also added some cardomom. I will definitely be making this again.

[Chef Edlear]

I cook for a vegetarian cafe, and so make falafel frequently. This is very tasty, very tender, and the fact that it isn't fried makes me very happy. Usually I bake my falafels, and I could bake these too, but the grilling is a nice method, gives it a bit of a different flavor boost. I left out the cilantro, some of my customers don't care for it, and increased the parsley. I served these with a tzatziki sauce, and some fresh lemon juice, along with the required lettuce and tomato. The patties freeze and keep well. thanks!