Name: Best Falafel
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Middle Eastern Cuisine
Ingredients: 1 cup dried fava beans; 1 water as needed; 1 cup dried chickpeas; 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; 1 tsp ground coriander; 3/4 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying, or as needed

Readily found throughout the Middle East, a falafel is a deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas or fava beans. The ultimate in fast food, it is commonly served in pita bread or wrapped in a flatbread. Falafels are topped with vegetables, hot sauce, and tahini-based sauces.

Best Falafel

Step 1 Place fava beans in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Soak for 2 days, changing the water daily (in hot weather change the water twice daily).

Step 2 Soak chickpeas on the second day in a separate bowl in plenty of cold water.

Step 3 Drain beans and chickpeas and rinse under cold running water; drain again. Remove the skins from the fava beans and discard them. Do not skip that step or the falafel will not taste good.

Step 4 Combine fava beans, chickpeas, onion, garlic, and parsley leaves in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until pureed, scraping the sides often to ensure everything is evenly processed to a smooth paste. Add cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a bowl; cover and let mixture rest for 30 minutes.

Step 5 Line a baking sheet or a large tray with waxed paper.

Step 6 Shape the mixture into 25 to 30 evenly sized patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch between them. Let rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Step 7 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 8 Pour oil into the bottom of a large skillet until it just covers the bottom. Heat until oil is hot enough to sizzle a breadcrumb.

Step 9 Carefully lift the falafel from the waxed paper using a spatula. Fry a few falafel at a time and do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry until crisp and brown on the underside, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip, and fry on the other side until browned, another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to a baking sheet. Place the finished falafel in the preheated oven to keep warm while you fry the rest, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Best Falafel

Readily found throughout the Middle East, a falafel is a deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas or fava beans. The ultimate in fast food, it is commonly served in pita bread or wrapped in a flatbread. Falafels are topped with vegetables, hot sauce, and tahini-based sauces.

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