Recipe: Falafel (Φαλάφελ ή Ρεβυθοκεφτέδες)

Falafel almost whipped me, but I prevailed in the end.

My friend Salwa, a Christian Palestinian, gave me her recipe ages ago, when I first started working on the book that became Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska (a fundraiser for Alaska’s only Greek Orthodox Church). She made the recipe sound simple. Initially, it wasn’t.

The first few times I made falafel were miserable failures. Because I couldn’t get them right before the book went to print, Tastes Like Home doesn’t include a falafel recipe.

After re-consulting Salwa and reviewing other recipes for this wonderful Middle Eastern treat, I finally had my Eureka moment and figured out how to make great tasting falafel every time. Trust me; if you follow the directions, falafel are simple.

The key to making tasty falafel is to use dried chickpeas (my first batch was made with cooked chickpeas; the texture was awful), soak the chickpeas at least 24 hours (I only soaked the chickpeas overnight for my second batch; everything about the falafel was wrong), and purée the soaked chickpeas until very smooth (in my third batch, the ground chickpeas were the size of dried couscous; these fell apart in the hot oil).

For those who’ve never eaten them, falafels are crispy fried chickpea or bean croquettes, seasoned with herbs, cumin, and coriander seeds. Salwa serves hers with tahini sauce and tomato-onion salad. Falafels are delicious either on their own or in a pita sandwich.

The precise origins of falafel are lost in the mists of time. In The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, Claudia Roden, who grew up in Egypt, says that falafel is “one of Egypt’s national dishes, welcome at all times, for breakfast, lunch, or supper.” She says the recipe originally came from Egyptian Copts, who make “mountains” of them during Lent.

Not everyone agrees that Copts invented falafel. As with many traditional foods in the Mediterranean basin, including moussaka and baklava, there are lively debates about falafel’s origins. In recent years, the falafel debates have sometimes devolved into political discussions about the relationship between Arabs and Israelis.

I think it doesn’t matter who invented a recipe, whether it be baklava or falafel, so long as it tastes good. I agree with Dr. Zafer Yenal, a Turkish sociology professor, who says disputing the origin of recipes is a form of nationalism that can lead to dangerous “we and they” attitudes. Dr. Yenal says foods should be identified by the regions where they're eaten today and not by who originally invented them.

Egyptian falafel is made using peeled and dried fava beans (not the yellow split pea Greeks call fava). In Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, Claudia Roden says falafel is made with a mixture of chickpeas and fava beans, while Israelis and Palestinians prefer it made only with chickpeas.

I wondered whether there was a significant flavor difference between falafels made with chickpeas and those made with dried fava beans. Last night, I made two batches of falafel: one made with each bean. My husband couldn’t tell the difference. I tasted a slight difference, but not enough for me to prefer one over the other. Both were great.

I served the falafel with Salwa’s tabbouleh recipe from Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. The fresh flavor of tabbouleh (bulgur, parsley, and tomato salad) marries well with fried falafel. A simple tomato and onion salad is another great accompaniment.

Falafel (Φαλάφελ ή Ρεβυθοκεφτέδες)
Makes 25-30 small patties (serves 4 as a main course)
Adapted from Salwa Abuamsha’s recipe
To make good falafel there are four important rules: 1. Don't use canned chickpeas. 2. Soak the dried chickpeas for at least 24 hours. 3. Process the chickpeas until they're very fine and easily hold together when formed into a ball. 4. Let the dough rest before shaping it into patties. I like using a 1 Tbsp. scoop (size 60) to shape falafel, but some people make larger patties. Serve with salad, tahini sauce (1/2 cup tahini, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, and 1/2 - 1 tsp. salt), hummus, and pita bread.

1/2 lb. dried chickpeas (1 1/3 cups) or peeled, dried fava beans
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. freshly ground cumin
1 tsp. freshly ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. cayenne (ground red pepper)
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Soak chickpeas in water for at least 24 hours. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and spread them out on a dishtowel to dry while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Put the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, freshly ground black pepper, baking soda, and baking powder in the food processor. Process until the chickpeas are thoroughly puréed and the ingredients form a very smooth dough; this can take up to 5 minutes of processing (remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time).

Let the dough rest for 30 - 60 minutes. Scoop out the dough, scraping the scoop flat on the side of the bowl, using a 1 Tbsp. (size 60) scoop (or a tablespoon). Form into balls and then flatten slightly to form small patties. Let rest for 30 minutes. (Falafel may be made ahead to this point.)

Heat the oil to 350°F. Fry the falafel in four batches, turning them over when half done, until they are golden brown (if you put too many in the pan at one time, the oil’s temperature will drop and the falafel won’t cook right). When done, place each batch on paper towels to drain; falafel cooks quickly so watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn. Serve immediately.

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This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Katie from Thyme for Cooking.