Spicy Falafel
I absolutely love Falafel. A rich spicy vegetarian dish either as an accompaniment or on their own. This is a variation on lots of different recipes on the internet and in books. If you like it or can suggest any modifications please get in touch. Rather than mash the chick peas with a potato masher, which I started doing, I quickly transferred to a food processor. The texture of the Falafel depends on how log you process them For a rather chunky mixture a minute or so would be sufficient, for a smoother mix then longer.
Ingredients
-
16 oz Canned or fresh Organic Chickpeas
-
1 Large Onion
-
2 Garlic Cloves
-
3 Tablespoons of Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
-
1 Teaspoon of Ground Coriander
-
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
-
1 Tablespoon of Flour
-
1 Teaspoon Salt
-
Pepper
-
Oil (For frying)
-
1/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
-
1/4 Teaspoon of ground Cardamon (Husks removed)
-
1/2 Fresh Red Chilli finely chopped
-
1 Egg (to bind)
Procedure
Prepare all you ingredients prior to assembling this way when you're mixing everything together you're not looking for things.
1. Wash and drain the chickpeas
2. Finely chop the onion either by hand or in a small dicing device
3. Finely chop both the Coriander and the Flat leaf Parsley. (I find it easier to use a breakfast cereal bowl, Fill to however much you need then use a pair of scissors.)
4. Cardamon seeds come with some untenable cardboard like husks, remove these and crush the seeds within.
5. The spices are simple, measure out the recommended amounts into small glass bowls (See picture above).
6. Press the garlic rather than chopping.
7. Finely chop half a medium hot red chilli. removing the seeds and the ribs as this is where most of the heat is.
It's recommended that you use a food processor for the next part.
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or a food processor and mix thoroughly, the more you use the processor, the more smooth the mixture will become. Use the single egg to help bind the mixture together. Do not use any oil or water as the mixture will become sloppy. If the egg is too much, add the flour gradually to stiffen the mixture up.
The consistency should be a thick paste but not too dry and not too wet. Mould a ping-pong ball sized selection of the mixture in your hand. What most recipes say, is to deep fry them until golden brown, remove and drain. It's just as easy to shallow fry your creations as small burger sized flattened patties.
Fry for 5 - 7 minutes.
A suitable accompaniment would be the "Spicy Tomato Salsa" this gives it a summer zesty taste against the spicy flavour of the Falafel. accompanied with Avocado and a Rocket/Watercress Salad.
