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Falafel

Name: Falafel
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 16 pieces.
Cuisine: Africa, Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 cup dried chickpeas; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves; 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves; 5 garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper, optional; 1 teaspoon sesame seeds; 1 teaspoon baking powder; Oil for deep-fat frying

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Test Kitchen Approved

Total Time

Prep Time: 10 min. + chilling Cook Time: 15 min.

Makes

16 pieces

Falafel is a common street food in the Middle East. This falafel recipe is gluten-free, crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of flavor from the cilantro, mint, coriander and nutty sesame seeds. —Nithya Narasimhan, Chennai, India

Falafel Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, optional
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions

In a large bowl, cover chickpeas with water. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Cover and let stand overnight. Drain chickpeas; rinse and pat dry.
In a food processor, pulse cilantro and mint until finely chopped. Add chickpeas, garlic, salt, pepper if desired, coriander and chili powder. Pulse until blended and texture of coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Stir in sesame seeds and baking powder. Shape into sixteen 2-in. balls. In an electric skillet or a deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry chickpea balls, a few at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels.

Falafel Tips

How do you make the falafel mixture easy to shape?

Chilling the falafel mixture for an hour in the fridge makes it easier to shape, so make sure you don't skip that step!

What are some variations of this falafel recipe?

Replace the mint with parsley for a more traditional take on this falafel recipe, or try pan-frying, baking or air-frying your falafel. Or, try one of these recipes based on the classic falafel, like falafel-chicken burgers, falafel waffles or pumpkin falafel.

How do you serve falafel?

Serve your falafel in or alongside pita bread with red onion, tomato, pickled cucumber and tahini sauce.

—Christina Herbst, Taste of Home Assistant Digital Editor

Nutrition Facts

4 pieces: 224 calories, 13g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 760mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 16g fiber), 9g protein.