Baked falafels

Falafels are sheer goodness, definitely one of the best ways to consume beans. Traditionally, they are deep fried, which would stop me from making them often. Even if you deep fry them properly, they do contain more fat than I would prefer to consume. The sheer thought of heating up a vat of oil and then having to dispose of the oils makes me want to make something else.

Luckily there is absolutely no need to deep-fry falafels. Pan frying works very well, and with a non-stick or cast-iron pan, one can reduce the amount of oil used to a minimum. That approach is good when you are in a hurry, or when you are in the middle of a heat wave and the last thing one wants to do is heat the kitchen by turning on the oven. However, baked falafels do taste great and are even less messy to make than pan-fried ones.

Baked falafels

Ingredients:

• 1 15-19 oz can chickpeas, drained. I actually always cook my beans from scratch, the result is infinitely better. See the instructions below.
• 1 chopped onion, preferably sauteed. No need to sautee if you are using the sweet onion, which is what I always do.
• 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic 
• 1 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. I like to up the parsley to a cup, and I chop it in a small food processor.
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, mixed into the flour
• 1 tablespoon coriander. 
• 2-3 tablespoons of cumin
• pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper 
• 2 tablespoons of oil - olive, corn, canola, avocado, it all goes

Preparation:

Turn the oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with the parchment paper, and brush or drizzle the parchment with some oil.

Mash chickpeas in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or in the food processor. If you use the food processor you will get a thick paste like consistency. If you just mix things together, you will still be able to press the mixture together and get your falafels formed.

Shape into ping-pong sized balls, or small patties, and arrange those on the baking sheet.

Optionally brush the falafels with a bit of oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. You can turn them over midway, but I don't so that the oven doesn't cool down.

Alternatively, pan fry falafel patties for about 5-8 minutes per side on a medium to medium high heat, on a bit of oil. Make sure falafels don't blacken, so don't rush and turn the heat way up.

Serve with tahini-yoghurt sauce - see the recipe below. They also go very well with our best tomato sauce.

Pan fried falafel on a bed of a thick tomato sauce

Tahini-yoghurt sauce:

1-2 cups of greek yoghurt

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 tablespoon of cumin

2 tablespoons of tahini

juice of one lemon

salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients and eat. If prepared ahead, refrigerate. 

Freshly cooked chickpeas:

1-2 cups of dried chickpeas AKA garbanzo beans

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoons of dried or fresh onion, optional

1 tablespoon of coconut oil, very optional

In a container with a lid, cover chickpeas with cold water. The volume of the water needs to be at least 3 times the volume of the beans. Close the lid and refrigerate at least for 24 hours, up to three days. The beans will expand, and the soaking will also help to reduce flatulence.

Drain the beans and rinse them well. In a pot, cover the beans with water, hot or cold. Again, the amount of water should be at least 3 or 4 times the amount of the beans. Add the salt and optionally the onion. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil, on a medium high heat. Watch out, foam will form in the pot, and the liquid may overflow, so pay attention when the beans are close to be boiling. Reduce the heat so that the water is barely simmering, and cook for 30 minutes. Taste the beans at 25 minutes to adjust the cooking time if needed. When the beans are cooked, drain them and put them into a container. Taste and add some salt if needed - you may be surprised with how no salty the beans would be after cooking.

I love to eat the beans straight when they are freshly cooked. You can splurge and add a bit of pumpkin seed oil, or butter, or olive oil, or avocado oil.

Store the uneaten beans in a fridge for up to 3 days.