Falafel
June 15, 2007 by top8free
1 small onion, cut in quarters
1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 scallions, white and green parts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chickpea flour
Canola oil for frying
Process onion in food processor or blender until finely chopped. Use paper towels to squeeze and blot out excess onion juice, set onion aside. Without cleaning out food processor or blender, add chickpeas, coriander, baking powder, garlic, parsley, cilantro, scallions, and salt to bowl and process until mixture resembles a slightly cumbly paste (2 to 3 minutes). Add 1/4 cup chickpea flour and mix to incorporate. Add onions back into mixture along with remaining ¼ cup flour. Mix. Test mixture by scooping up a couple of tablespoons and shaping it into a ball in your hands. It should have the slightly stiff consistency of cookie dough, and should hold its shape well when rolled into a ball and flattened. If it is too sticky, add a little more chickpea flour.
Roll all of the batter into golf ball sized balls and then flatten into ½ inch thick pucks. Allow to rest of 15 minutes while you preheat the oil for frying in a large frying pan. You will need enough so that the oil is at least ½ inch deep in the pan. Heat on medium high. Test to see if the oil is ready by putting a small piece of falafel batter into the oil. It should immediately sizzle and float.
Fry falafel patties in batches until crisp and golden brown. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with tahini sauce, hummus, diced cucumbers, and/or pita bread.
