Quick falafels

 

This is a simple recipe to make quick falafels from canned chickpeas. Usually falafels are deep fried, but here I cook them in a skillet using only a minimum amount of oil (2 tablespoons) to keep it healthy.

The quantities in the recipe here make 16 falafels. Dan and I manage to eat all of them, but I think it might be enough for 3 persons! We have these falafels with tahina, whole wheat pita and a tomato-cucumber-onion salad.

It’s ready in 20 minutes or so.

Ingredients

• 550 g tin of chickpeas, drained (290 g when drained), rinsed and dried in the salad spinner
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup packed of fresh coriander leaves
• ¼ cup packed of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon of ground coriander
• ⅛ (a pinch) to ¼ teaspoon to taste of ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon of tahini (I use unhulled tahini)
• Juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon
• 3 tablespoons of flour (I use chickpea flour)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation

Add in the food processor the chickpea, garlic, coriander leaves, parsley, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, tahini, lemon juice and flour. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and blend to get a rough paste (I need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times).

Divide and shape with the hands the mixture into 16 falafels of the same size.

In a nonstick skillet on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the falafels, turning them regularly, until golden on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. And eat at once!

 

Adapted from Renée Kemps