Chef John's Falafel

Craving falafel? You need to soak the chickpeas a full day before you actually want to eat. After that, it's simple to make. Serve with Chef John's tahini or tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 271 Calories

Ingredients

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

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Place garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 12 to 24 hours. Drain.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

Divide dough into 12 portions and roll each with moistened hands into a ball.

Step 5

Working in batches, cook falafel balls in hot oil until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.