Falafel

lalalacroix
lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
in Recipes
I recently discovered this delicious food. I'd love to hear how you like to eat this. And if you make from scratch do you prefer fava bean or chickpea falafel?

Replies

  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    Never made it myself, so eat it when it’s served, how it’s served, but also interested. If it’s easy to make, I might try to learn.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I rarely make or eat falafel but when I do, I like to eat it with pita or rice along with tabouli, onions, maybe hummus if it's really good (I'm picky about hummus), and pickled vegetables. I also prefer to make them with chickpeas.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    edited August 2019
    I’ve always made chickpea falafel and generally I’d serve with a huge salad because the felafel themselves are pretty calorific I find I don’t need much else. Maybe a little homemade harissa on the side for dipping. Or a yoghurt chilli dip.

    I’ve made similar sorts of bean based things..edamame, black beans, cannelinni, pinto but I never think of them as falafel! Just bean things! But I guess there’s not a lot of difference other than various herb/spicing.


  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    If it is not from chickpeas, I do not think you can technically call it a falafel ?
    Anyway, my favourite is with pita bread and yoghurt with herbs. I like my falafel really spicy, so yoghurt is kind of necessary to compliment the spices. Or some fresh tomatoes.
  • GrizzledSquirrel
    GrizzledSquirrel Posts: 120 Member
    I made falafel. I used a lovely, authentic recipe that said on NO ACCOUNT use chickpeas from a can. Cook the dried sort and use them.

    I thought “whatever - I haven’t time for that and I know what I’m doing”.

    They came out like sloppy cowpats. Didn’t make that mistake again. Should’ve listened to the expert.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    Fwiw, I read that some countries make falafel from fava beans.

    I would use chickpeas because I'm more familiar with them.

    Love the idea of adding picked veg - sounds like a nice compliment.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I use the falafel mix from Trader Joe's and bake them in the oven instead of frying them. Then I dip them in the TJ's spinach/kale Greek yogurt dip. Easy, tasty and great calorie count. They freeze well, too.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,586 Member
    I seem to remember reading in my old Claudia Roden cookbook butat it is chickpeas in Israel but fava beans in Egypt. My only attempt at making them was a disaster. I think I made the batter too liquid and they dissolved in the deep fat fryer. Haven't attempted them again. Would be curious to try baking or air frying.
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    Chickpeas here and I've made them a few times.
    They're pretty simple if you have a good food processor and so delicious when super fresh. Maybe I'll make them tomorrow
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    Falafel is made from chickpeas. And they have to be dry, not canned or they will fall apart.

    Get a nice pita bread and cut in half and open them up.
    Spread hummus deep into each half
    Top with pickled veggies.
    Top with falafel cakes.
    Drizzle with tahini.

    Ohhhhhhhhhhh crap, my dinner tonight :)

    This☝. Soak the dry garbanzo then grind them RAW. I like tabouleh & harissa laban in mine too.
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    I seem to remember reading in my old Claudia Roden cookbook butat it is chickpeas in Israel but fava beans in Egypt. My only attempt at making them was a disaster. I think I made the batter too liquid and they dissolved in the deep fat fryer. Haven't attempted them again. Would be curious to try baking or air frying.

    I'd watched an Aussie food documentary magazine showing the fava bean variety in Egypt.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    They use fava beans in Egypt, yes. Well Egypt and probably various Egyptian diaspora populations. It's called taameyya.

    https://www.mattersofthebelly.com/taameyya-the-original-egyptian-falafel/
    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/mar/20/worlds-best-falafel-recipe-henry-dimbleby-back-to-basics
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    Thanks for all the replies.🙂

    I've made them from a box, then baked in the oven. So delicious. I'm gonna try to make them with soaked garbanzo beans. I also wonder how they would work with black beans. I could do a Cuban style falafel.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    lalalacroix wrote: »
    Thanks for all the replies.🙂

    I've made them from a box, then baked in the oven. So delicious. I'm gonna try to make them with soaked garbanzo beans. I also wonder how they would work with black beans. I could do a Cuban style falafel.

    You can absolutely make a similar thing to a falafel from black beans (or any bean, pretty much, I made bean balls from dried aduki last week - new favourite!) but it won’t be a falafel if it isn’t chickpea! Still good though!
  • Beka3695
    Beka3695 Posts: 4,126 Member
    lalalacroix wrote: »
    Thanks for all the replies.🙂

    I've made them from a box, then baked in the oven. So delicious. I'm gonna try to make them with soaked garbanzo beans. I also wonder how they would work with black beans. I could do a Cuban style falafel.

    Cuban falafel sounds AMAZING. I LOVE garlic black bean hummus - this would pair nicely!
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    I added rosemary and thyme to my falafel mix, made large balls and added them to my pasta sauce. They were so good!
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    I make them from the Trader Joe’s mix and bake them also. I found a thin pita bread that is only 60 cals per entire pita, so I put the falafel in puta with some shredded lettuce and to ato and top with tzaziki sauce. Salad to accompany this.

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