Falafel With A Twist Food

HOW TO MAKE FALAFEL

Steps:

• (One day in advance) Place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight for 18 hours (longer if the chickpeas are still too hard). When ready, drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.
• Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and spices to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run the food processor 40 seconds at a time until all is well combined forming a the falafel mixture.
• Transfer the falafel mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to one whole night) until ready to cook.
• Just before frying, add the baking powder and sesame seeds to the falafel mixture and stir with a spoon.
• Scoop tablespoonfuls of the falafel mixture and form into patties (1/2 inch in thickness each). It helps to have wet hands as you form the patties.
• Fill a medium saucepan 3 inches up with oil. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly. Carefully drop the falafel patties in the oil, let them fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or so until crispy and medium brown on the outside. Avoid crowding the falafel in the saucepan, fry them in batches if necessary.
• Place the fried falafel patties in a colander or plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• Serve falafel hot next to other small plates; or assemble the falafel patties in pita bread with tahini or hummus, arugula, tomato and cucumbers. Enjoy!

FALAFEL WITH A TWIST

Steps:

• Boil two cups of olive oil in a large pot or deep fryer. This should take at least 10 minutes.
• In a food processer, blend the chickpeas until smooth and then put it in a medium sized bowl. Add chopped cilantro, dried parsley, green onions, breadcrumbs and salt, and mix well. Add a little more breadcrumbs if necassary (I say this as in my first attempt to create this I added another heaping tablespoon of breadcrumbs).
• Make falafel balls 3 inches in diameter out of the chickpea mixture, but do not put them immediately into the hot oil. Test the heat of the oil by dropping a 1/4 teaspoon of the mixture; if the oil sizzles then it is ready.
• Drop the balls carefully one by one into the large pot or deep fryer. DO NOT overcrowd the pot or deep fryer or else the temperature of the oil will drop and the falafel balls will not cook at an even rate. It is better to cook them in batches.
• Cook for 5 minutes, and then with a skimming spoon (the ones you use to skin the fat off the stock or soups that you make), take the falafel balls out and put them on a towel to drain off the oil. Let cool completely, as this is served at room temperature. This mixture can make 16 falafel balls.
• In each pita pocket, put three falafel balls. Top them with the hummus, broccoli slaw, diced tomato and roughly grated baby carrots, (this can be done in a food processer, where you pulse 2 or 3 times for 2 seconds each. They should not be finely minced as this is how I like my carrots grated for carrot cake.
• Serve when ready.

WAFFLED FALAFEL

Steps:

• Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Spray inside of waffle iron with cooking spray.
• Process garbanzo beans in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add onion, egg whites, cilantro, parsley, garlic, flour, cumin, salt, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom to garbanzo beans. Pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until falafel batter resembles a coarse meal. Pour batter into a bowl and stir with a fork.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup falafel batter onto each section of the preheated waffle iron. Cook until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

EASY HEALTHY FALAFELS

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas in cold water for 8 hrs, or overnight.
• Drain the chickpeas and pulse with the bicarb in a food processor until roughly chopped. Remove 3/4 of the mixture and set aside.
• Add the garlic, vegetables, spices and herbs to the remaining mixture in the processor and purée to a paste. Stir the paste into the rough purée of chickpeas, add the gram flour, season and mix well.
• Heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas 1/4. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add some of the oil. Use your hands to form the mixture into patties (there should be enough to make about 16). Fry for 2 mins each side until crisp. Keep in a warm oven while you fry the remainder of the mixture, continuing to add a little oil to the pan with each batch. Serve wrapped in flatbreads, if you like, alongside the houmous, tabbouleh and pickled red onion & radish.