John Myers
The term “falafel” usually refers to fried balls of chickpeas, herbs, and spices. They have their origins in oriental cuisine, which is why, in addition to chickpeas, coriander, parsley, cumin, and cardamom are among the key ingredients. You can influence what is in your falafel yourself. In addition to the basic ingredients, other aromatic spices such as allspice, cinnamon, ground coriander, and chili are also suitable. Sumac also fits wonderfully with its subtle acidity. To avoid your falafels tasting too strongly of coriander leaves, simply use about twice as much parsley. Just try our versatile falafel recipes!
Falafel – what is it and how do I prepare it?
Falafel not only tastes great, they also do not contain any animal products, making them ideal for a vegan diet. Especially since you can simply use vegetable oil for the preparation. Even if you fry falafels and thus choose the traditional preparation method. The oil should be 170 degrees hot. If you don’t have a thermometer, simply stick the handle of your wooden cooking spoon into the oil. If bubbles form, you can add the falafel. This also works with our falafel recipe, for which you use deep-frying fat. You can just as well fry chickpea balls in the pan. Use vegetable oil for this and also shape the small patties a little flatter. In the end, they are crispy on the outside, well done, and juicy on the inside.
Falafel – which chickpeas to use?
You should preferably use dried chickpeas, which you soak for around eight hours before you mix them with the other ingredients in the blender or in the food processor to make the falafel porridge. This in turn has to rest in the fridge for about an hour before you form the balls. Already pre-cooked chickpeas work less well because the mass gets too moist. If you fry your falafels, you can still use them. Just don’t use too much oil. A dash of baking soda is also important. This will ensure that the falafel are nice and fluffy. However, only use half a teaspoon at most. Otherwise, the chickpea balls won’t hold together.
What to serve with falafel?
One question remains – namely, what to eat with falafel. The balls are particularly good as the basic ingredient of an aromatic sandwich. For example, try our oriental falafel wrap. Hummus and different dips also taste great. For example, mix tahini, sesame paste, garlic, lemon, and some water to create an aromatic, creamy sauce. Tomatoes, guacamole, flatbread, and pita bread, oven-roasted vegetables, a crisp salad, vegetable sticks, and bulgur are also recommended as tasty side dishes. By the way, you can enjoy falafel cold if there is anything left over from your meal.
