A middle eastern breakfast essential and classic, falafel is one of those items you can reminisce on from your childhood. Did you ever have weekend runs with the family to the middle eastern grocery store and your parents picked up a fresh dozen with a fresh bag of pita bread, that’s what I remember, indulging in a quick delicious sandwich on the drive home. It’s always one of those 2-bite appetizers you find at dinner parties and such a treat! As an appetizer, I love serving falafel with tahini sauce and if it is served for breakfast, some other items I usually have at the table are: hummus, labneh, an array of vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, Arabic pickles, etc), foul (fava beans), pita bread and more!

Ingredients

(Makes 1.5 dozen)

1 cup Dried Chickpeas, soaked overnight

½ White or Yellow Onion, quartered

½ cup Cilantro Leaves

½ cup Parsley Leaves

3 Cloves Garlic, peeled

½ tbsp Black Pepper

½ tbsp Cumin

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, based on preference

½ tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Baking Soda

Salt to Taste

1-½ cup Vegetable or Corn Oil, for frying

Directions

Beginning the night before, soak the chickpeas overnight in a bowl with room temperature water.

The next day when you are ready to make the falafel, place all the listed ingredients (except the oil) in a food processor and process until you get a coarse dough that you can shape.

Heat up the oil in a small saucepan on medium-low heat. 

While the oil heats up, roll the dough into 1.5 inch balls or use a falafel press if you have one to shape the falafels. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Fry the falafels, 3 or 4 at a time on one side until they develop the brown coating then flip and do the same. You want them to cook in the center too.

Serve with pita bread, tahini sauce, an assortment of veggies and more and enjoy!

*Note: If you do not want to fry all the falafel you make, still shape them into balls, freeze them on the parchment paper for about 30 minutes then you can store them all together in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

🙂