I first learned about falafels in Egypt where they are called ta’amya. They were delicious! And not available when I got back to the US in the fall of 1964, except the World’s Fare was on there! I went to the Egyptian booth and was so excited they were available! Unfortunately, they didn’t taste anything like the one’s I’d eaten the week before in Cairo. Many years later, my mother and her Egyptian daughter (too long to go into detail – just stick with me here) decided to have a food stand at the local labor day fare where we would sell them. We spent many days preparing everything at Mom’s home in Greenport, Long Island, then organized the stand where the whole family got involved. We sold out long before our customers were ready to stop eating!
I learned later that Egyptian falafels are made with fava beans, not chickpeas, which is a completely different taste. Nevertheless, I find this recipe satisfies my falafel urges, although made with chickpeas and baked not fried.
Falafels
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked chickpeas soaked 24 hours, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- ½ cup chopped sweet or yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the chickpeas in a large food processor (note: the chickpeas will have expanded during the soak time, be sure to use ALL of them here) with onion, garlic, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, baking powder, cilantro, parsley, and olive oil. Pulse until well combined but not pureed. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Use a 2-tablespoon scoop and your hands to form the mixture into 12 to 15 thick balls (be careful not to pack them too tight or your falafel will be dense). If they’re not holding together, give the mixture a few more pulses in the food processor.
- Place the balls on the baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil (this is the key to making these moist and crisp since we’re not frying) and bake for 14 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until golden brown and crisp on the outside.