CHEF JOHN'S FALAFEL

Chef John's Falafel image

Unlike most of America's other favorite fast foods, falafel is rarely attempted at home, which is a shame, since it's very simple to do, and even a relative novice like me can get some very decent results. One word of warning: you do need to know you're going to have a craving for this a full day before you actually want to eat it.

Provided by Chef John

Categories 100+ Everyday Cooking Recipes Vegetarian

Time 12h30m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 cup dry garbanzo beans
½ yellow onion, diced
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or more as needed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
oil for frying

Steps:

Place garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 12 to 24 hours. Drain.
Blend garbanzo beans, onion, parsley, garlic, flour, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander, baking soda, and cayenne pepper together in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until mixture is finely ground and holds together when pressed. Transfer garbanzo mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors blend, 1 to 2 hours.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Divide dough into 12 portions and roll each with moistened hands into a ball.
Working in batches, cook falafel balls in hot oil until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 270.7 calories, Carbohydrate 24.4 g, Fat 16.9 g, Fiber 6.5 g, Protein 7.1 g, SaturatedFat 2.1 g, Sodium 646.4 mg, Sugar 4.5 g