Preparing to make falafel.
Trying it two ways, my
mother in law ground it in
a meat grinder with fava
and garbanzo beans .
Chef Kamal Al Fakih makes
them in a food processor with
just garbanzo beans.
You can also get skinless fava
beans which cuts down on time
spent skinning by hand. The following recipe is adapted from Alice Fuleihan's recipe and Classic Lebanese Cuisine, by Chef Kamal Al Fakih
Ingredients
1 cup dried garbanzo beans
1 cup dried fava beans (try to get skinless)
1/4 cup cilantro coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley chopped
1 onion coarsely chopped
1/2 cup scallions chopped
2 cloves garlic
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon raw sesame seeds (topping)
2 cups canola oil for frying.
This makes 22 falafel
 |
| Garbanzo beans and fava beans soaking in water. |
Directions
Begin two days ahead by soaking 1 cup
garbanzo beans and 1 cup fava beans in
8 cups of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking
soda. Baking soda soften the beans.
Change the water daily.
Fava beans....... the white beans
have been skinned, the bowl in
the front shows fava beans before
removing the skins.I skinned the beans after 24 hours,
the skin came off easily. Resumed soaking the skinless beans. I soaked the beans for 36 hours, these can be soaked for 4 days.
To prepare the falafel, drain the beans,
rinse in water and then lay out on a paper towel in a single layer, pat dry really well. Too much moisture results
in the patties not holding together very well.
Grind the beans with the onion in a meat grinder on a coarse grind. Make sure you
pat dry the parsley, scallions, and cilantro with a paper towel and then add these to the bean mixture along with the finely chopped garlic cloves. Mix thoroughly. Put through the meat grinder a second time. Add the salt, spices, 3 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.Mix thoroughly.
Pass through the meat grinder a third time. Test to see if the patties hold together. Add a little flour if they seem too wet.
Using 2 tablespoon portions, form the mixture into dome shaped patties. I used a mold for making marmoul (date cookies)
Place the patties on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap.
Press a few of the sesame seeds on top with your finger (do not used toasted sesame, make sure they are raw. Raw sesame seeds stick, toasted do not)
Next put the falafel still sitting on the baking sheets uncovered in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can stack in a covered container
and leave in freezer. When you need them, do not thaw, just fry the patties straight out of the freezer.
I made the falafel the day before serving,
left them in the freezer and removed them just before frying.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, have the oil about 1 inch thick. Fry three at a time. Remove when they are golden brown with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Try to keep the oil at 375 degrees so that the patties fry evenly. A candy thermometer is helpful)
Tahini Sauce (Chef Kamal Al-Fakih)
Ingredients
1 large clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup tahini (mix well before using)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup water
parsley chopped (just use the leaves and tender stems)
Directions
Finely chop the garlic and mash the garlic and salt to a pulp using a pestle.
Add the tahini, lemon juice and water. Whisk until smooth and creamy. It should be like pancake batter.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
I also tried the recipe in Classic Lebanese Cuisine by Chef Kamal Al-Fakih). He does not use fava beans and uses a food processor instead of a meat grinder. The falafel were very light and airy. The taste testers were mixed, there seemed to be a preference for the meat grinder version. But the consensus in the end was make them both ways, they are equally good.
Serve with pita bread, chopped tomatoes, tahini sauce (or hummus), pickled beetroot and pickled turnips.
(Pickled Beetroot posted 4/18/14)
(Pickled Turnips posted 1/4/12)
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