Faláfel with yogurt sauce

How to prepare a Faláfel.

Perhaps one of the most characteristic legume recipes of Arab gastronomy and is very popular throughout the Middle East.

Its preparation can be different in each country, region, city and even home according to the personal touch of the cook.

Today it is well known in the western world due to the large number of restaurants serving Arab cuisine and the ease that the Internet and social networks give us to access dishes from the rest of the world.

There are different versions about what its origin may be, but the most accepted one places it in India where it was cooked together with bread and a mixture of spices. Its name comes from the Arabic “filfil” , which means pepper and from the Sanskrit “pippali” .

Chickpeas are usually the base of the recipe, although in some territories such as  Egypt it is made with beans.  In exactly the same way, only by changing the main ingredient.

In falafel , chickpeas or beans are not cooked, but simply hydrated in water. Then they are crushed, to obtain a “sandy” texture that we will then mix with the rest of the ingredients.

It is customary to serve it as a starter, with the complement of a yogurt sauce .  Very common also in Mediterranean countries as an accompaniment to many dishes.

Another option is to accompany it with  Hummus or Tahini , and put it in hot pita bread to taste it as a “sandwich”.

I hope you like it and have it among your favorite recipes, you will tell me.

Preparation of chick peas

1. Since chickpeas are the main ingredient, we are going to put special interest in preparing them.
2. We will start with some good dry chickpeas, which we will soak for at least 24 hours, although if you have time you can start about 48 hours earlier and change the water when there are 24 hours left. If the water is warm we will help them hydrate better.
3. Surely you have the question of whether you can use chickpeas from a pot or that we have left over from another elaboration.
4. Do not use them as this recipe is made exclusively with chickpeas or hydrated beans, and they should never be cooked before. In this way, the flavor is much more intense and tasty.
5. Once hydrated, drain the chickpeas and leave them on an absorbent paper for a few minutes to release any remaining water.
6. We put them in a chopper utensil of mixer or kitchen robot and crush them well, until obtaining a texture similar to that of sand.
7. We want them to be well chopped but without turning into chickpea flour. There may even be a few small stumbles.
8. Once chopped, we reserve them in a bowl and continue preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Preparation of the faláfel

1. We put all these ingredients in the glass of the grinder. The onion cut into small segments, the garlic cloves in quarters (without the central part so that they do not repeat us), the parsley and the coriander leaves, salt and pepper to taste, the cumin powder and finally the teaspoon of chemical yeast .
2. We crush everything and add the mixture to the chickpea mass. With the help of a spatula, stir in circular movements, until everything is well incorporated and a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
3. We shape it into a ball, cover it with a clean cloth.
4. Let it rest for at least 1 hour in a cool place or failing that we put it in the refrigerator at the top, where it cools the least.
5. During this time we let the yeast act and thus we will be more spongy.
6. After that time, we will prepare the faláfel balls. For this we must wet our hands so that the dough does not stick to us.
7. We make balls about the size of a walnut, squeezing it to release any remaining water.
8. If the dough is too wet for you and you cannot shape it well. You can add a little flour to give it more consistency, if it is chickpea flour much better.

Frying and final presentation of the faláfel

1. Once the ball is made, we crush it slightly to give it the final shape. We repeat this action until we run out of dough to make the rest.
2. We try not to make them too compact because otherwise the faláfel will be dry and “mazacote”.
3. With these amounts we will get about 20 – 25 faláfel. If you don’t want to eat them all, this dough can be perfectly frozen to cook them on another occasion.
4. Just like when we make croquettes, we will fry them straight out of the freezer. They will successfully get you out of trouble if you need an aperitif or a light dinner.
5. In a saucepan we put plenty of soft olive oil (which does not give the falafel much flavor), so that when frying they are submerged.
6. When it is hot (not too hot, it does not smoke), we fry them “round and round”.
7. In approximately 1 minute they will be ready, as soon as we check that they are golden. We fry 3-4 each time, so that the oil temperature does not drop too low.
8. Once made, we separate them in a source with absorbent paper, so that the oil drains well.

Finished the falafel, we prepare our yogurt sauce in a moment.

I encourage you to visit more recipes for tapas, snacks and pinchos perfect for an unforgettable evening with yours.

Tips for a yummy turtle

• To present our faláfel it is best to accompany them with a yogurt sauce. In a bowl, pour the natural yogurt, and on it a clove of garlic very finely chopped, the juice of half a lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
• To give it an “Arabian” touch, we also add some well-chopped fresh mint leaves (if we don’t get it, it would be dry).
• We stir well with the help of a fork / spoon and in just 1 minute, we have the sauce ready to accompany the faláfel. We serve them hot at the table. We accompany them with the sauce at room temperature or cold, depending on your taste.
• This dish is very healthy, and it is also 100% gluten free .
• Its main ingredients, chickpeas are a good source of vegetable protein. They do not provide saturated fats as with meat.
• They also provide a high content of fiber, minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium, “lecithin” (a type of fat that is excellent for cholesterol control). In addition to essential fatty acids such as “linoleic”, better known as Omega 6.
• In short, it is  a vegetarian dish, healthy and very easy to prepare .