Recipe

Falafel

≈ 30 small balls (6 servings) · prep 20 min + overnight soak · cook 15 min

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• lunch
• levantine
• vegetarian
• vegan

Authored by the maintainer; Levantine method — raw soaked chickpeas, herb-heavy.

Ingredients

the base

• 300 g dried chickpeas
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 5 cloves garlic — Tropea allium farm

the herbs

• Large bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves, roughly chopped
• Large bunch cilantro, stems and leaves, roughly chopped

the spices

• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom — Guatemala cardamom farm
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked — Kerala pepper estate
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt — Trapani salt pans

the finish

• 1 tsp baking soda

the crust

• 60 g sesame seeds (optional, for coating)

the fry

• 1 L neutral oil, for deep-frying

the serve

• Warm pita, pickled turnips, sliced cucumber and tomato, hummus and tahini sauce, for serving

Method

1. Soak chickpeas overnight (16 hours minimum) in plenty of cold water. They'll triple in size. · 960 min
2. Drain the chickpeas. Spread on a clean cloth and pat dry. This is the most important under-emphasised step — wet chickpeas make wet falafel.
3. Pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and all the spices in a food processor — in batches if needed — until the mixture is the texture of damp couscous. Don't over-process; you want grains visible, not paste.
4. Tip into a bowl. Cover. Rest in the fridge 30 minutes — this firms the mixture. · 30 min
5. Heat the oil in a deep pot to 180°C / 350°F.
6. Just before frying, stir the baking soda into the mixture. Shape into walnut-sized balls (about 25 g each) with damp hands — a falafel scoop helps.
7. If using, roll each ball in sesame seeds.
8. Fry in batches of 6–8, never crowding, for 3–4 minutes until deep mahogany-brown and crisp. The falafel should float almost immediately and brown evenly. · 4 min
9. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately, while the crust still crackles, with warm pita, tahini sauce, pickles, and chopped cucumber-tomato.

Notes

Falafel is the dish where the rules matter and the room for invention
is tiny. Soak overnight; don't cook the chickpeas; don't skimp on
herbs; rest the mixture; add baking soda last; fry hot.

Two debates: green-falafel (more herbs, less spice, the Beirut style)
vs darker-falafel (more spice, less herbs, the Egyptian style). The
recipe above is closer to Beirut. Egyptian *ta'amiya* uses fava beans
instead of chickpeas — a related but different dish.

Best eaten within 10 minutes of frying. Reheating is possible but
the crust never comes back to the same crackle. Make in small
batches; eat as they emerge.