Delicious holy falafel... from scratch.

I'm writing this out for an MFP friend, but some of you might like it, too. Falafel is super easy to make and doesn't have to be deep fried. I pan fry mine, and I've even baked them, but they're really better fried.

There are so many variations on the holy falafel, that you can't really mess it up. I had some falafel up in Provincetown (MA) that was more like fried hummus. How far you take the beans is really up to you.

I always use dried chickpeas (garbanzo) and I don't really measure things so be patient and accept the vague for what it is. all of this is pretty much to taste, so you can add more or less of things as you see fit. you can also add other things in there, this is just a base recipe.

maybe 1c of dry chickpeas soaked overnight & boiled until tender.
note: I say maybe because I usually soak like 1/3 of a bag at a time and use some to make hummus and the rest for falafel.

1/2 bunch parsley
a medium sized onion
a couple cloves of garlic
1tsp ground cumin
chili powder, cayenne powder and/or paprika
1/2tsp salt + or -

some people use a little baking powder. I don't find it terribly necessary, but it's not a bad idea if you have some on hand. I'd probably use about a teaspoon or so.

1 egg < this makes it not vegan and actually, not traditional either. the original recipe i have used doesn't call for egg, but whenever i have tried to make it without a binder, it has literally disintegrated in the oil leaving me with absolutely NOTHING to pull out.

you can add many other things, but I would dice them, like: carrots, olives mushrooms or even celery depending on your mood. maybe even super fine beets. get creative with it.

i fry mine in peanut oil, but you can use any high smoke-point oil you want. i've done it in olive oil, but, it's not really a good idea. it gets very smoky and probably actually destroys the nutrition of the oil.

edit: gah, i forgot to tell you HOW to do it.

so i use a food processor. i chop the beans until they are just before hummus stage. then i scoop those out into a bowl. I add dry spices (the mixture should be on the dry side) and then chop the onions & garlic next in the food processor, then i scoop those out, add those to the mix, then chop the parsley in the food processor, same deal.

i like to go heavy on the parsley and sometimes i do it with cilantro or a blend of the two. it doesn't matter if it's curly or flat parsley it's all delicious.

mix it all together and give it a taste. if it tastes good, add the egg, mix / hand beat and then shape into patties.

heat up a heavy bottomed skillet with maybe 1/4" oil or something, not much. let that oil get super duper hot. gently place the falafel in the pan and turn after about 40seconds. drain on a towel or something (i use a cloth).

with the leftover bits of parsley, onion & garlic in the processor bowl i start my hummus. i add the other beans (not chopped) with more garlic, blend, add some lemon juice while blending and some olive oil and i just keep blending until it becomes hummus.

edit again because i keep forgetting things: for the hummus you might want to add some tahini. i sometimes put a roasted pepper in it, too. and heavy on the garlic, yo. that shiz is good for ye.