The Cooking Route

I love Falafel but I do not deep fry. My kitchen is too small for a deep fryer and I don´t like the smell of hot fat lingering in the house. So I just fry my Falafel in a non stick skillet with some olive oil for the taste and usually they look more like patties. On the hunt for the perfect Falafel recipe I tried a lot but until now I was never completely satisfied. This one is the best by far I´ve ever made, crispy on the outside, a slightly moist, almost meaty texture on the inside. (I suppose you could as well deep fry them if you prefer.)

They are not only delicious but the sprouted chickpeas make them also exceptionally healthy. During the germination process vitamin content and accessibility jump up. You don´t taste that the chickpeas have been sprouted because in this recipe they are used in a very early state of the germination.

I served them with the Creamy Feta-Red wine Vinegar Dressing by David Lebovitz and it was so good!

Ingredients:

sprouted chickpeas made from 2.5 cups of dried ones. * (See how to do the sprouting at the bottom of the post.)

0.5 cup bread crumbs

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 small onion

1 tsp. baking soda

0.5 tsp. baking powder

1 large egg

1 tsp.cumin

1 tsp.paprika

1 tsp. thyme

Salt, pepper

olive oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Put the chickpeas in a food processor with the garlic, onion and spices. Grind until you get a rough moist texture. Add a little water if needed.

falafel_dough-by-petra-pfaender

2. Move the mixture into a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, combine, and put aside, covered, for 30-60 minutes.

3. Wet your hands, shape little balls (about the size of apricots), pat gently to flatten them. Heat olive oil in a non stick skillet and fry until crispy, for about 5 minutes each side.

3. Serve hot!

Sprouting chickpeas:

Rinse the chickpeas well and soak them in water for 12 – 24 hours. Drain, rinse and leave the chickpeas just in the colander on a warm and bright place. I don´t bother covering them. After about 6 hours they have built a kind of tiny tale and are ready to use. If you prefer to sprout them a little longer rinse them 2 -3 times a day until they form a longer tail, but for the Falafel I would recommend using them at the latest on the second day.