- Prep time25 mins + overnight soak
- Cook time20 mins
- Servings4 (about 12 falafel)
- DifficultyMedium
- CategoryMiddle Eastern
Real falafel is never made from canned chickpeas — soaked dried chickpeas, ground raw, are what fry up crisp outside and fluffy inside. Canned chickpeas turn to mush and the balls fall apart in the oil. The mixture should be coarse and green with herbs, rested so it hydrates, then fried at a steady 175 C. Wrapped in warm flatbread with tahini sauce and pickles, it is one of the great sandwiches on earth.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) dried chickpeas, soaked 12 to 24 hours (not canned)
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup packed fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour (if needed to bind)
- Oil, for deep frying
- For the tahini sauce: 1/2 cup tahini, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 garlic clove (minced), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup ice water
- 4 large flatbreads or pitas, salad leaves, sliced tomato, cucumber, pickles
Method
- Drain the soaked chickpeas completely. Pulse with the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro in a food processor until coarse and crumbly — not a paste.
- Mix in the cumin, coriander, salt and baking soda. Rest 30 minutes. If the mixture will not hold a ball, add chickpea flour a spoonful at a time.
- Whisk the tahini sauce ingredients until smooth and pourable.
- Heat oil to 175 C (350 F). Form the mixture into walnut-size balls or patties.
- Fry in batches 4 to 5 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Drain on a rack.
- Warm the flatbreads. Spread with tahini sauce, add salad and pickles, pile in the falafel, drizzle more sauce and roll up.
Tips for success
- Never use canned or cooked chickpeas — the falafel will disintegrate.
- Test-fry one falafel first; if it breaks, add a spoonful of chickpea flour.
- Keep the oil at 175 C — cooler oil makes greasy falafel, hotter burns the herbs.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from Rajshri Food walkthrough covers the same falafel wrap step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.