It may surprise you to hear this but here in the Western part of Turkey we only got to know Falafel very recently - maybe the past 20 years or so.
Which is the reason why I tagged this as Near Eastern and not as Mediterrenean food. Falafel came to our parts only through migration from East to West - and a very good thing that it did too! Yumm! Needless to say, I do not make them myself but I buy them frozen. There is a company that puts out a very good product and that is what I get.
Funnily enough, Falafel has not really caught on as street food - except in tourist areas of the city. So, there must be all these traveller to Istanbul who go back thinking that Falafel is something quite common around here. It isn't. This will probably change in years to come, but right now Falafel is still something rather fancy. You get it as beer food in nice cafes and bars or you get it as a main dish in one of the more fancy restaurants. Which is what I do. Very often at that! :-D
INGREDIENTS
| Falafel mixture
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
- ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
- ½ cup fresh dill, stems removed
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 7-8 garlic cloves, peeled
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
| | - 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- Oil for frying
Tahini Sauce
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup tahini paste
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup cold water, more if needed
- 1 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves, stems removed first (optional)
|
INSTRUCTIONS
Falafel Instructions
- (One day in advance) Place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight for 18 hours (longer if the chickpeas are still too hard). When ready, drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.
- Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and spices to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run the food processor 40 seconds at a time until all is well combined forming a the falafel mixture.
- Transfer the falafel mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to one whole night) until ready to cook.
- Just before frying, add the baking powder and sesame seeds to the falafel mixture and stir with a spoon.
- Scoop tablespoonfuls of the falafel mixture and form into patties (½ inch in thickness each). It helps to have wet hands as you form the patties.
- Fill a medium saucepan 3 inches up with oil. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly. Carefully drop the falafel patties in the oil, let them fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or so until crispy and medium brown on the outside. Avoid crowding the falafel in the saucepan, fry them in batches if necessary.
- Place the fried falafel patties in a colander or plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Serve falafel hot next to other small plates; or assemble the falafel patties in pita bread with tahini or hummus, arugula, tomato and cucumbers.
Tahini Sauce Instructions
- Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves with the salt into a paste (or mince the garlic and season with salt.)
- Add the crushed garlic, tahini paste and lime juice to the bowl of a food processor and blend (it will be thick as it emulsifies.) Add a little bit of water and blend again until you reach the desired consistency.
- Transfer the tahini to a serving bowl, and if you like stir in fresh chopped parsley.
Shamelessly filched from:
Thank you The Mediterranean Dish! :-)
Images: Unsplash and Freepik.
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