Crispy Falafel

Making Crispy Falafel

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1. Drain the soaked chickpeas thoroughly and spread them on a tea towel to dry for 15 minutes. They should have roughly tripled in size and be soft enough to crush but still raw.

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2. Put the chickpeas, onion, garlic and both herbs in a food processor and pulse — do not blend — until the mixture resembles coarse, damp couscous. Work in two batches for an even texture.

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3. Tip into a bowl and mix in the cumin, ground coriander, chilli, salt and pepper.

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4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This lets the starch hydrate and the mixture firm up.

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5. Just before frying, mix in the bicarbonate of soda and sesame seeds. Adding it early makes the falafel dense.

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6. Squeeze the mixture firmly into walnut-sized balls or patties. If it will not hold, pulse a small portion again to release more starch.

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7. Heat the oil to 175°C / 350°F. Fry a test falafel — if it breaks up, chill the mixture longer or pulse it finer.

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8. Fry six at a time for 3 to 4 minutes until deep brown and crisp, turning once.

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9. Drain on a rack and serve immediately in warm pita with tahini sauce, tomato and pickles.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Small Things That Help

• Never use tinned chickpeas. It is the one rule that cannot be broken.
• Pulse, do not purée. A smooth paste fries into dense, heavy falafel.
• The mixture can be made a day ahead; add the bicarbonate only at the moment of frying.

Swaps and Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve with Crispy Falafel

• Mint tea or a cold lager
• Serve with hummus, tahini sauce and pickled vegetables
• Follow with baklava

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Pita Bread, Rice Pilaf, Flatbread.

Leftovers and Storage

The raw mixture keeps 2 days refrigerated and freezes 2 months. Fried falafel keeps 2 days; re-crisp at 200°C / 390°F for 6 minutes.

Crispy Falafel FAQ: Common Questions

The Numbers per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

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