A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand Collapsemarisab67's Notes:
Expand2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed well and soaked overnight Ask a question about this ingredient
1 small yellow onion Ask a question about this ingredient
1 bunch mint, washed Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed and coarsely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
3 cloves garlic Ask a question about this ingredient
1 egg (optional) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 piece bread Ask a question about this ingredient
2 pinches salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons ground cumin Ask a question about this ingredient
2 lemons, juiced Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup canola oil for frying Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup plain yogurt, Greek style preferred Ask a question about this ingredient
salt and pepper to taste Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pkg. pita or flatbread Ask a question about this ingredient
Drain chickpeas and let air dry for 2 hours, or more.
Ask a question about this stepProcess chickpeas, onion, 2 cloves garlic, half bunch mint, cilantro, egg, bread, salt and pepper, cumin and half the lemon juice on low speed until a thick paste forms. No chunks or your balls will fall apart.
Ask a question about this stepForm into patties and let rest while tzatziki is made.
Ask a question about this stepRinse processor and pulse cucumber, yogurt, rest of mint and lemon juice and the last garlic clove on low just until blended. salt and pepper to taste.
Ask a question about this stepFry patties in canola on medium high heat for 3 minutes each side or until golden brown.
Ask a question about this stepServe with warm pita or flatbread.
Ask a question about this stepp.s. The tsatsiki seems just right for this since it's more of a sauce like what you usually put on falafel.
Easy and useful recipe, but make sure to make a small patty to try before making a bunch: i (who like bold flavors) found that the mixture needed a fair amount of salt, more spices (I added more cumin and ground coriander) and more minced garlic.
I make a very similar recipe only mine includes a small amount of baking soda. So as to avoid frying, I spray oil on a cookie sheet and bake. I have to turn them over half way through so they get browned on both sides. Although I must admit, of course, frying is better! I have tried using canned chick peas several times and it never works - they just fall apart. The only way to do this is to think ahead and soak the chick peas and use them uncooked. Yum!
hello! do you usually bake them on 350 F or so?
How long on each side? I am trying to bake them because I used canned chick peas and I think they are too wet.
Thanks!
my husband is from Egypt and they use leeks and scallions instead of yellow onion. you can also use canned chick peas to cut out the bean soaking steps. (i use canned chick peas when making hummus too)
they use tahini to make the 'white sauce' for the falafel. white sauce is tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and water to thin out the mixture. note: a small amount of tahini can make a lot of the sauce.
I have to say that your tzatziki recipe is a bit off. It should have dill in it, not mint and cilantro and a little bit of olive oil. There is typically too much water in the cucumbers (thins out the tzatziki), so once the cucumbers are chopped, they should be drained of extra liquid prior to adding the yogurt. Just my two cents on making a more authentic tzatziki. A few people posted they bought store made tzatziki - be ware that they usually use sour cream instead of yogurt, so it will have a completely different taste.
There is no cilantro in it. Only mint. I think you read it wrong. And we hate the taste of dill. Personal preference, but thanks for the 2 cents.
There is no cilantro in it. Only mint. I think you read it wrong. And we hate the taste of dill. Personal preference, but thanks for the 2 cents.
There is no cilantro in it. Only mint. I think you read it wrong. And we hate the taste of dill. Personal preference, but thanks for the 2 cents.
What? Ingredient #4 is: "1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed and coarsely chopped."
I have to say that your tzatziki recipe is a bit off. It should have dill in it, not mint and cilantro and a little bit of olive oil. There is typically too much water in the cucumbers (thins out the tzatziki), so once the cucumbers are chopped, they should be drained of extra liquid prior to adding the yogurt. Just my two cents on making a more authentic tzatziki. A few people posted they bought store made tzatziki - be ware that they usually use sour cream instead of yogurt, so it will have a completely different taste.
We are not dill fans in this house unless we're making borscht and the cilantro goes in the falafel. But thanks for your 2 cents. I hope the 20000 other people who've looked at the recipe can figure it out.
I mixed up the falafel for lunch and they were wonderful - I haven't had any this good since leaving NYC!
Made them. Loved them. More importantly, children loved them. Husband asked for the leftovers in his lunch today. Saved recipe. Wonderful!
I don't know what went wrong, but these weren't what we were hoping for. They were . . . lacking. Lacking flavor. Lacking texture. Lacking the crispiness I expect in a falafel. I followed the recipe to the letter -- anyone have any advice as to what may have gone wrong? Are these supposed to be so bland?
Since you are the only person who didn't love them, no. Did you soak the beans? Do you use salt? Are your taste buds dead, because Amanda Hesser seemed to enjoy them. Maybe you're related to the kale tart person?
a good idea is to make a small test sample before you commit to forming the patties. empty the falafel into a large bowl. cook up a little bit and taste it, then adjust the dry seasonings (salt and pepper and cumin). It's important to not use the food processor as a mixer because you don't want to ruin the somewhat grainy texture.
as for the food processor part: i like to up the lemon flavor, so i zested the lemons and put most of it in the mix. i also threw in an extra garlic clove in the processor (about 2 tablespoons total if you were to roughly mince all of it). also, there's a lot of gray area with "one bunch of mint" and "1/2 a bunch of cilantro". i consider a "bunch" to equal about 1oz when talking about fresh broad leaf herbs like basil, mint, parsley, or cilantro. Visually 1 oz of mint will look like too much, even after you discard most of the stem parts.
it's worth trying again.
Finally!!! A VERY successful falafel recipe. I have had horrible attempts in the past with other recipes. Food 52 has never done me wrong though, so I decided it was worth a try! Thank you so much...so easy and really tasty!
just read rules. i guess this one had to go out with the bathwater in the last contest. can't find delete submission button ladies, sorry:(
Yay!
This was a fun one and will definitely stay in our rotation. Thanks! A few changes that worked better for our small family (just us adults). Keep the patties fairly thin, somewhere between .5 or .75 inch thick.
Cut the yogurt in half, use 1/3 cuke and just a tbl of lemon. We were overwhelmed by too much tzatziki. Felt kinda wasteful for us.
very easy to prepare - and very tasty too. I think the felafel needed a little bit more salt.
you can always test a little patty first. everyone has different taste buds and so I mostly say season to taste.
Thank you for the falafel love everyone. An expensive winter tart is more apropos for Dirt Cheap in June it would seem but I'm looking forward to recycling this recipe till I win too. Cheers!
I made these at the suggestion of a Facebook friend (is that you, pimimond?), and they were fantastic! I used a deep fryer and sprouted chickpeas - otherwise, everything by the book, and I LOVE them. My 11-year-old doesn't like cilantro or mint too much, so I have the whole batch to re-heat and eat for myself over the next few days ... NOT a problem. :) Thanks y'all.
YES! these are great! I had some sprouted split green peas on hand so used those instead of chicks. Worked perfectly, everybody happy at the dinner table. GREAT recipe.
congrats on being a finalist. My daughter and I made this for lunch today. I found the mix to be wetter than i expected and had to pulse the chickpeas in batches--and then I looked at the picture slide show...so I think we were on track--it threw me off that the 2 c. of dried chickpeas swelled as much as they did!
Anyway, a delightful recipe.
isn't the slideshow gorgeous? i'm humbled to have my falafel treated so well by the ladies.
Congratulations on being chosen as a finalist, marisab67! I love falafel, but I must confess that I usually make falafel from a mix (lazy, I know!). But I am definitely going to try your recipe. I love the fact that this is made from mostly pantry ingredients and that it can be whipped up in a jiffy in the food processor. I also like your addition of tzatziki sauce -- yum! Thanks for sharing.
I think lots of people use mix because it's such an unusual food to most people, but it's worth the little bit of effort to not use something someone else made in a factory somewhere!
Agree -- homemade is always better than a mix! Saved and looking forward to trying your recipe.
Making everything this week. Watching out for the disintegrating balls . . .
Just made. All the flavors were spot on, but the falafel itself lacked that crunch I was looking for. Do you suggest deep frying?
Maybe use a smaller pan to cook. A cup of canola should be plenty for an 8 or 10 inch surface. I use a 4 quart Creuset.
This looks great, and I look forward to making it. I was, however, somewhat disconcerted by the final sentence of Step 2.
thank you so much for posting this recipe--i never thought I could make falafels at home. somehow this recipe has managed to combine nearly every ingredient my son doesn't like and turn it into one of his new favorite dishes. and it was quick and easy. i do have a question about the dry chickpeas. i soaked 2 cups, drained and let dry and wound up with nearly 4 cups of chickpeas. was i supposed to use all these chickpeas? i wound up using 3 cups and it turned out really good.
It does depend on kind of chickpea as to how inflated they will get. Size, freshness, etc. Usually I get about 3 cups total. If there is more, I usually boil the rest until soft and make hummus. Canned garbanzos taste awful to me now.
I am so glad to hear that your son liked it. It's such a great feeling to see them enjoy eating things you know are so good for them!
I lived in the Middle East for 10 years, so I am looking forward to try this recipe....
Falafal is one of my favorite foods! Ive thought of making them but now there is no excuse not to, your recipe seems so easy!
You're going to love it and will try to convert all your friends!
I've never made falafel and now I'm intrigued and excited to give it a try. I tend to shy away from recipes with mint but I'm going to be bold and accept the challenge. Great recipe, and congrats!
So funny, I remembered your name from a comment on my friend Linda's blog:) Let me know how it goes!
Baba ganoush is good too. Not so crazy about most middle eastern food- "Hummus? Didn't I dump you years ago for that hot Tahini dude?" but falafel, tabbouli, and the baba are the bomba.
Oh, and by the way, you're not fooling me "Pimi". I am a master Google stalker and former Valley Girl:)
Oh! Plus, forgot to say that felafel was a hard-core pregnancy craving for me as well. The movie "Party Girl" (with Parker Posey) came out 16 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter, and there was a heat wave. I loved the movie, I saw it 3 times, and in the movie, Parker Posey is a hard-partying New Yorker who falls in love with the Dewey Decimal System and a felafel cart vendor. After every screening, I had to have felafel.
I have seen Party Girl many times. Parker Posey is my hero. Is that why you order the extra tahini?
I HAD to make this. It's crazy good. Even my mint-hating husband ("I'm sorry. It just reminds me of chewing gum") LOVED it. Usually I order my felafel with extra tahini sauce, but the tzatziki was a lovely change, and Tabasco should be mandatory, because then you got the hot, you got the cool, you got the crunchy, you're ready!
Congrats on being a finalist! This looks phenomenal! I used to survive on bi-weekly falafel from a box, but this looks waaaay better, and cheaper!
You won't ever go back!!! Next up, tabouleh, since that mix is pretty awful too!
I had to chuckle when I read your note with the recipe. My husband tomorrow is accepting a job that will be half our current income! We spent the day going over budgeting, ect. so it was neat to see this as the first recipe I pulled on my page. Thanks!
We tried with the budgeting. then gas went to $4 AAARRGGHH! So nice to read this to my hub this am and tell him we're not the only altruists in the bunch. Mine decided to start over in the solar inverter industry in BFNowhere. Almost as fun as when we lived at the beach. NOT. It will be a low cost go-to, I promise, and next I'm going to add the tabouleh and gyros recipes to go with. Let me know how it goes!
This looks like a great recipe! I've been getting my dried chickpeas from Rancho Gordo's for a couple of years now and the difference between theirs and store bought dried chickpeas is amazing. I was wondering if you have ever tried frying these in Olive oil. When I lived in Italy I just fell in love with the way they fried nearly everything in it. The results were fantastic. Can't wait to make these this weekend.
I am looking up Ranch Gordo right now! I used to fry in olive oil.Before the husband quit his awesome job. Now I'm rocking the canola when it's not a huge flavor issue.
Oooh, lookatchu with your heirloom garbanzos!!!! Thank you for pointing me towards this company, am eager to try!
yay! so important (and convenient) to use uncooked, soaked chickpeas. thanks for posting this!
I learned it a million years ago and am convinced that it is a superfood.
Strangely, I've never made falafel from a mix or box. But it always tends to be quite an ordeal. I think it's because of all the fillings I make for it though:
I make a chopped salad of tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and bell peppers (I prefer red) with a dash salt, lemon, and just a hint of vinegar. Then I shred some cabbage and add a bit of oil and vinegar to that as well. I then make a tahini yogurt blend with sesame tahini, greek yogurt, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper.
So with all those sides, even the easiest falafel can be a bit of a crazy task. Have I ever cared that it takes a lot of prep? NEVER. It is my favorite food and if I want it, I HAVE to make it, since I live in a part of the country where you cannot find a restaurant or food cart that serves it.
Thanks marisa67 for an interesting take. I've never added mint but love the simplicity of your recipe!
I'm so glad there's a co-lover! I usually do tabouleh and mouhamara too, but was trying to stick to the simplest form. If I have enough time I even do the flatbread! Mint makes it a little more green and helps digest the garbanzo a bit.
Nope. That's what makes them the right texture. And they are so unbelievably healthy in about 10 different ways!
Looks wonderful. And what an endorsement that they don't fall apart in the pan: that's what's happened with every falafel I've ever attempted.
I think that's why I like the fresh bread better than a dry one. Great binder!
I think it's the fresh bread and egg. Getting all the chunks out too!
Good to know about the fresh bread and egg.
Love it and can't wait to try!
I've been wanting to make falafel from scratch for ages, and this looks like a perfect (and easy!) recipe - congrats on being a finalist!
Could I use bread crumbs rather than the slice of bread? If so, about how much would you suggest?
Bread crumbs will change the texture a bit. Fresh bread makes it a bit lighter. I would use no more than 1/4 cup. Thanks for trying, it's SOOOO good. You'll never use a mix again!
I'm ashamed to admit that I've never even made it from a mix. This is a life-changing experience.
Have been planning to make falafel when mom and sisters are here and now I have a great recipe! Thanks!
I've never made falafel either, but it looks like it's time to start. Beautiful, can almost taste it now.
Congratulations, I love falafel.
If you're not a vegan you should use it. It adds a flavor to the herbs that isn't there w/out. Texture will also be a bit heavier.
i have been wanting to know how to make both of these! yum and thank you for great summer dirt cheap recipes!
This sounds incredibly delicious. Saved. Thank you for the recipe!
This looks great and I loved your story... thanks for sharing!!
I wish I loved the story as much:) But it's making me be more resourceful, and hey, I'm an expert on dirt-cheap now!
the best ever and it is such a great way to get kids to eat chickpeas and greens! Mine loves it because he has no idea how good it is for him!
Yay falafel! This is totally my favorite preggo (or anytime) food too. Who knew that fried legumes could be so inspirational?
I'm pretty sure it's why people go to Israel:) Forget all that land of God stuff.
It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip there! Could not get enough falafel and was so sad to come home to uninspired versions. Very excited to try yours. Congrats on being a finalist!
" Forget all that land of God stuff."-----Sorry Dear.Israel is all about God....Jehovah and His promises and blessings....Read Bible to understand that.May Jesus forgive you for that comment.Blessings....
Get a grip, chacko ........ great tasting food (and maybe a bit of family) trumps EVERYTHING else!!!!!!!
Can't wait to try these (first time!) for my neighbor who is experienced with this genre of foods. She had an Iranian friend bring some over once with fresh arugula to 'pick up' with. I've been growing it for 2 years anticipating this opportunity! :-) Thanks!
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The ingredients: bread, cucumber, lemon, egg, garlic, yogurt, onion, cilantro, mint, pitas, cumin and chickpeas.
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After soaking the chickpeas overnight, we dried them on paper towels for a few hours.
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Amanda cheerfully throws ingredients into the food processor -- we love that you just toss everything in together!
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Could we possibly fit anything else in here?
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Yes, we can!
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It's alive!
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We decided to finish the job in batches.
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Forming the falafel patties. It's kind of like going back to kindergarten.
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Aren't they cute? And such a pretty green!
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Amanda fries up the first batch of falafel.
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Neither of us had ever actually made falafel before -- so much fun!
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Meanwhile, the tsatziki is a similar dump and whirr operation.
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Lots of mint, and lots of cucumber, makes this version really fresh.
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Now, that's some beautiful falafel.
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really enjoy this recipe. hearty, flavorful and delicious! Not to mention - healthy! Thanks. What a great vegetarian lunch!