Have you ever wondered how else you can have your chickpeas apart from in a stew or hummus? Well, you can have them in crispy baked balls! Yeah, just like meat balls but with lots of herbs and spices.
These balls are called falafels and originated from Middle East. They are crispy and golden on the outside with a green soft inside. You can actually snack on them and feel no guilt and they can be taken as a lunch or dinner sandwiched in a pita bread with a salad, hummus and tahini. Wondering what all these other things are? Well, keep it Gwen Jikoni and learn how to make them from scratch in the comfort of your kitchen. All that said, you can buy ready pita bread, hummus and tahini sauce from any major supermarket near you.
Now, lets delve in the making of these vegan balls called falafels. The reason as to why you soak your chickpeas over night for 12-24 hours is to soften them ready for processing. Be careful not to cook them or use canned ones or else your end up with a mushy mixture. Soaking two cups of chickpeas yields about 5 cups since they absorb a lot of water and expand. Be sure to use a measuring cup for this recipe and not a tea cup.
Next, you need all your herbs fresh and not the dried kind found in the spices section of your local supermarket. These herbs include parsley, cilantro aka dania and mint leaves. Disclaimer: do not substitute parsley for dania as danias are very flavorful whereas parsley is mild. You got to balance these two flavors. Mint on the other hand brings out a fresh kick to your falafel. Feel free to add in other herbs like sage and dill if you like their taste.
Just like we use onions in meatballs, so should you in falafels. Onions brings about a robust flavor just as garlic.
When it comes to spices, playing around with them is great according to your liking. In my case the combination of cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom and cayenne pepper brings about very delicious falafels. You can substitute cayenne pepper though with a green chilli. 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or one green chilli will not make your falafels hot! So, kindly don’t omit it as it plays a great role in balancing the flavors. Kids can eat these falafels too! Incase you want them spicier, feel free to add more cayenne pepper/ green chilli.
At this point, let me just say ‘salt is bae’. Omit it at your own risk and your falafels will taste like crap or not taste a thing at all!
You’ll notice we add chickpea flour and baking soda. You must be asking yourself why. The flour helps in binding the mixture together so that the balls don’t disintegrate while being baked or pan fried. Incase you don’t have chickpea flour and you are not gluten intolerant, you can you all purpose flour or wheat flour instead. Baking soda on the other hand helps provide a fluffy inside texture of the falafel.
For the cooking oil, feel free to use what you prefer best. Just make sure it has a high smoke point. Avoid extra virgin olive oil as it has a low smoke point ( it’s best used as a salad dressing or in hummus!).
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight*
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro(dania) leaves, chopped
- 1/8 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. cumin powder
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper/ I small green chilli
- 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour (gram flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Oil for baking
Instructions
- Soak the dried chickpeas in water overnight or for at least 12-24 hours. Make sure the water covers the chickpeas completely, as they’ll triple in size.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to your food processor together with the roughly chopped onion, parsley, cilantro aka dania, mint leaves, garlic, cumin powder, ground coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cayenne pepper/ green chilli and salt. Pulse several times until it resembles the texture of coarse sand. Do not over-pulse the mixture till smooth.
- Transfer the falafel mixture into a bowl and add the chickpea flour aka gram flour and baking soda. Stir together, then cover with a cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
- At this point preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Using your hands, shape the falafel mixture into small balls. (I make 12 balls with this recipe)
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper and spray/brush them with a little oil then bake at 180°C until golden brown for about 30 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point for even cooking.
- Serve the falafel immediately, while warm and crispy on the outside.
Recipe Notes
*Soak the chickpeas in water for 24 hours so they soften up. (Do not use canned chickpeas) When the chickpeas are soaked, drain the water, rinse the chickpeas thoroughly, and use as instructed. Do not cook the chickpeas.
*2 cups dried chickpeas yield about 5 cups soaked chickpeas.
You can also pan-fry the falafel in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat, until evenly browned.
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I know you’re going to love these baked falafels. Please rate this recipe below (After you’ve made it, of course
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