When done right, falafels are a delicious feature in a vegan carb-up meal. With a base of chick peans combined with plenty of fresh herbs and spices, and a crispy outside texture to boot, you or your vegan friends will be happy with this recipe that will equal anything you get at a middle eastern fast food place. And even if you're not vegan, it's a deliciously satisfying centrepiece for a special carb-up meal.
Carb-Up Vegan Middle Eastern Falafels Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained and fully dried (*Do NOT use canned chickpeas. They don't work for this recipe.)
- ½ cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 small green chile pepper, serrano or jalapeño pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chick pea flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Avocado oil for frying
Directions:
Add soaked chick peas, onion, parsley, cilantro, pepper, garlic, cumin, salt, cardamom and black pepper to the food processor and pulse several times until the texture is like coarse sand. (*A high-powered blender can work too, but it will be more work as you'll have to push the mixture down the sides using a spatula more.)
Transfer mixture to a bowl and add the chickpea flour and baking soda. Stir together, then cover or add a lid. (*At this point, you can store the mixture in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze it for up to 2-3 months before thawing it for use.)
When ready to cook them, scoop out the mixture with a 1½ tablespoon scoop and shape into slightly flattened discs.
Add a few tablespoons of oil to coat the bottom of a cast iron or carbon steel skillet. Heat to medium-high heat. Gently place the falafels in the pan without crowding them and cook each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Falafels are best golden on the outside, not charred. Make sure you keep your oil from getting too hot or else they will cook too fast before the inside can warm up. Use tongs to flip them gently as they are a little fragile, though they shouldn't break apart. If they do, try adding a little more chick pea flour the next time.
Serve these as soon as you can after cooking on a bed of steamed rice, or stuffed in a pita, topped with a little garlic tahini sauce and/or sriracha and some middle eastern pickled turnip on the side. If not quite ready to serve them right away, put them in an oven or toaster oven set to warm on heat safe dish lined with parchment paper.
Did you make this vegan carb-up middle eastern falafels recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
