Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Well, not awful exactly. Just not quite right.

I don't make felafel often at home, because deep-frying, you know? So I've only tried a couple of felafel recipes and neither of them is quite right.

Any of you have a recipe which comes out perfectly?

Define "perfectly."

Amy

Amy,

Identical to felafel from a really good felafel stand in Israel or Lebanon.

Forgive my attempt at humor...I kind of figured that's what you meant...can you explain the characteristics of what makes it perfect as I've never been to Israel or Lebanon.

Actually, I just had a thought...Hiba is from Lebanon. I'll send her a message on FB and ask if she can chime in.

Amy

I assume you've tried the Bittman version? I make it frequently, but admittedly stray from the recipe at times.

Of course I've never had authentic falafel to compare, but I'm pretty happy with my version.

I don't know if this fits the definition of "perfect" but its my no-fry version.

***No-Fry Falafel with Tahini Dressing
Falafel:
1/3 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups boiling water
2 cloves garlic -- halved
1 19 oz can chick peas -- drained and rinsed
2 slices whole wheat bread (crusts removed) -- cubed
1 small onion -- finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
salt and pepper
hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup parsley -- chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
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Tahini Dressing:
1/2 cup non fat yogurt
1 lemon -- juiced
3 tablespoons tahini
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons water or milk
11/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
------------
Additional items:
6 whole wheat pita breads -- opened
2 tomatoes -- coarsely chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled -- seeded and chopped
4 leaves lettuce -- coarsely shredded

In bowl, pour boiling water over bulgur; let stand 30 minutes.
Prepare Dressing while bulgur is steeping: Whisk together all ingredients in bowl and set aside. Best to do in advance. Keeps in refrigerator for 3 days. If consistency is too thick when ready to use, drizzle in a little more water/milk.

Drain bulgur in colander and squeeze out excess moisture with back of spoon. In food processor, mince garlic. Slowly add chick peas through food shute then continue to slowly add onion, bread, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, bulgur and hot sauce. Puree for 1 minute until smooth. Blend in parsley. Chill in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop 12 mounds onto baking sheet sprayed w/cooking spray. Flatten into patties about 1/2" thick (can also do this with your hands and place flattened patties on baking sheet but don't handle patties too much). Bake for 8-10 minutes, turn patties over and bake another 8-10 minutes.

Remove patties from oven and brush with olive oil. Place patties on french fry screen coated with cooking spray and broil on top rack of oven 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy.

Cut into each pita and nestle 2 patties into pouch with tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and dressing.

Nancy,

Hmmm. That's the second recipe I've seen with some bread in it, which I haven't tried. Probably that's where I need to go next to get the right texture.

Darcie,

No, I've never seen the Bittman recipe.

Amy,

Perfect felafel should have a thick brown crunchy shell. It should be slightly chewy and slightly mushy on the inside, and each felafel ball should be able to stand up to a couple pounds of pressure before squashing -- about the same firmness as a good crab cake or Spanish tortilla. It should taste of parsley, garlic, cumin, and umami from all the legume protein.

I did a slightly modified version of the recipe from The Food Of Israel last time, and the flavor was perfect but the felafel was way too mushy inside.

There is a little Greek restaurant here that makes absolutely perfect felafel. He only makes it on Thursday and the place is packed. I wouldn't dream of asking for his recipe. We go at least once a month.

Sorry I can't be of help.

fitzie

Bittman recipe, or at least pretty close:

Falafel
Makes about 48 patties, serving 4.

1 (12 oz) bag dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, quartered
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
1 small bunch parsley, cilantro or a mix of the two (stems removed)
(about 2 cups loosely packed leaves)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 tablespoons flour, if needed
Vegetable oil for frying

Method
Rinse the beans and put them in a large bowl; cover beans with water by 3 or 4 inches (leave plenty of room for expansion as the beans will nearly triple in size).

Soak for 24 hours, adding water if needed to keep beans submerged. Drain beans well and transfer to a food processor. Add remaining ingredients except flour and oil; pulse until minced but not pureed, scraping sides of bowl down. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add a little of the bean soaking water, but no more than 1 or 2 tablespoons. If mixture seems too wet and won’t hold together, add flour as needed.

Keep pulsing until mixture comes together and maintains its shape when formed into flattened balls. Taste, adding salt, pepper and spices to taste.

Put the oil in a large, deep, heavy saucepan or small Dutch oven to a depth of at least 2 inches; more is better. The larger the pan the more patties you can fry at a time. (Alternatively, you can shallow fry them in about 1/2 inch of oil, but you will have to turn them more frequently.)

Place pan over medium-high and heat oil to about 350 degrees (a pinch of batter will sizzle immediately).

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of batter and shape into a small patty, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Shape remaining batter into patties. Fry in batches, without crowding, until nicely browned, turning once or twice for even browning. The total cooking time will be less than 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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Here's one from FoodMan on eGullet. I think I made it once but only used chickpeas. I liked it but don't remember how much. It was my first introduction to homemade falafel.

Falafel

1-1/2 c dried peeled fava beans (Ful Majroosh)
1/2 c dried chickpeas
1 c chopped green onions
2 T minced garlic
1 T Cumin
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp hot chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 c finely chopped parsley
Oil for frying

In a large bowl, soak the Fava beans and Chickpeas for 12 to 20 hours. They should be soft enough to eat without cooking but still crunchy. Drain the beans and try to get as much water out of them as possible.
In a food processor chop the beans till very fine

Add all the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process to a nice coarse paste. To test, take a piece and squeeze it in your palm. It should stay together and not crumble much. If you think the mixture is too dry, add a few teaspoons cold water while the processor is running

Heat 2 inches (5cm) of oil in a pot and using the Falafel scoop, form the Falafel into discs and drop directly into the oil. Fry on both sides till deep brown. Remove and drain on a rack. If you do not have a Falafel scoop use your hands to form the Falafel into thick patties, they will come out just as good although a little uneven in shape.

Serve the Falafel with Pita bread, Tahini sauce, chopped parsley, tomatoes, pickles, or any other veggie or dip you like.