Falafel

Many things can be said about Falafel, starting from it's origin. Egyptians claim it is theirs, Lebanese assured it is theirs.

I'm not quite sure where all started, but as a kid it was always a treat and still is.

My aunts are all experts in Falafel-making, but there is one aunt that wins it, I won't say any names, fearing it will be hold against me at some point...

Falafel is a fritter made out of beans, some people combine red-kidney beans and chick peas (garbanzo beans). And many others will only use the garbanzo beans, which is what I have used for this recipe, either way it is delicious.

This recipe yields about 50 spoon-size fritters.

Ingredients:

400g of dry garbanzo beans (soaked in water overnight)

2 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 tablespoon of cumin

1/2 tablespoon dry coriander

1 teaspoon onion (powdered)

1 teaspoon of garlic (powdered)

1 yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic (mashed)

1 bunch of dry fresh parsley

1 bunch of fresh dill

1 bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

Salt and Pepper to taste

Oil to fry

Directions:

Wash the beans that have been soaking overnight. Drain them.
Preheat frying oil for 10 min before frying.
Put in the food processor all the ingredients and blitz until you have a paste.
With two tablespoons, grab mixture and using both spoons shape and fry. Drain them on a kitchen towel.
Serve with favorite dip or as a stuffing in arabic bread.

Tips:

Condiments and fixing are a must. A traditional sauce is the the tahini sauce, which is very easy to make, just blend the following ingredients: 6 tablespoon of tahini, 1 lemon (juiced), 1 garlic glove, salt and pepper to taste.
Fixings can be your favourite ones, the ones I like and are most traditional: tomatoes, pickles, radishes, fresh parsley.

Enjoy!