Jan 14, 2016, Updated Jul 17, 2023 It’s not something I frequently make at home, but last week I was shopping my pantry – something I’ve been trying to do more of in aspects of my life (you know, read the books you already own, wear the clothes in your closet, use the food in your pantry) – and I came across a near-empty bag of dried chickpeas. I remembered when my sister-in-law was here and we had soaked more chickpeas than we needed for a chickpea curry, she said she’d use the extras to make falafels. That never ended up happening, but that’s what inspired me. They’re way easier than you think. You just soak chickpeas – no need to precook – and throw them in the food processor with garlic, onion and a handful of herbs. Baking powder helps them to gain loft in the oil and become fluffy. Then a quick chill in the fridge while your oil preheats. I didn’t bust out my deep fryer for this, I just used a deep saucepan and worked in batches. I used a thermometer to check the oil temperature to provide accuracy in the recipe, but you don’t really need to use one. Just flick a small piece of bread in the oil – if it floats and sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Serve your falafel with whatever you fancy – I like tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, pickled beets, hot sauce, garlic sauce and tahini sauce. Leftovers are great cold in sandwiches made with soft Turkish Bread or Naan, or to top salads, but you can reheat them in the oven or more quickly in the microwave (but oven definitely preferred for crispiness). Lemon-Tahini Sauce recipe here. Garlic sauce (Toum) recipe here.
