What is Falafel?

Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern dish that has been enjoyed for centuries, its essentially a vegan pattie or ball made from ground chickpeas, garlic and lots of herbs. Falafel has also become quite popular in America and now, with the growth of veganism its popularity is growing in Europe and the UK too. (Are we still Europe, I don’t understand all this “Brexit” stuff!).

The name “Falafel” can refer to the entire dish, but most accurately it describes the main ingredient – falafel balls or patties.

Historically, Falafel was made from fava beans, chickpeas or a mixture of both, but these days falafel is usually just made from Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans!) mixed with garlic and a good hit of herbs.

How to make Falafel

If you’ve never made your own falafel it’s easier than you might  think.  And, in all honesty, so much tastier.  I find the shop bought ones to be either too bland or conversely over-spiced.  The best thing about making your own anything is YOU get to decide what goes in it.  And you don’t need much to make more than decent falafel!

To make falafel, sweat some onions in a frying pan, then whizz them in a food process or along with the garlic, pesto, cumin, basil leaves, chickpeas a little flour and a good crack of salt and pepper.

Chop, fry, whizz, shape, sizzle, done! Making falafel could not be simpler!

How to cook Falafel

Now that you have a lovely bowl of Falafel ready to cook, what the best way to cook it? Frying is the traditional way to cook falafel, and I honestly believe that is the best way.

You can bake the falafel (because, you know, healthier and stuff) but they just don’t get that lovely crispy outside that’s such a wonderful contrast to the soft, squidgy inside.

So a gentle sizzle in a little olive oil and you have the perfect falafel burger!

Can I make Falafel ahead and freeze?

Yes! You can make the patties or balls and freeze them for use as needed!

Prepare the falafel mixture as above then then make them into your patties or balls.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pop them in the freezer, Once hardened you can move them into a freezer bag or freezer proof Tupperware. They should be OK in the freezer for around a month, but as usual in our house, nothing last that long as we eat well! You can cook the falafel straight from frozen but do ensure that its piping hot in the center before serving!

What can I do with leftover Chickpeas?

Chickpeas are amazing aren’t they?  Falafel, hummus, crackers, roasted, in a pie … even meringue!  Well not strictly meringue as you only use the water tinned chickpeas come in but it’s still a chickpea derivative ?

How to serve Falafel

We love falafel as “falafel burgers”, served hot inside a freshly baked bread roll, especial a homemade spinach bread roll.

Now, homemade bread rolls to go with these take a little more time and involvement but I’ve always found bread to be one of THE most rewarding things to make in a kitchen.  A little bit of mixing and kneading then potter around while the yeast does its wonderful thing.

And spinach – a leafy green known for good health and popular for its remarkable abilities to restore energy, increase vitality and improve the quality of the our blood.  Bake it into bread and the fussy eaters will have no idea it’s even there!  Tell them it’s pureed frog instead if they notice the slight green tinge ??

You can also make smaller patties and serve them in wraps chock full of hummus and salad – yep, I’m SO trying that next ?

Here are some items I used in making these Falafel Burgers with Spinach Oat Rolls:

If you make this recipe or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him we’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees we’ll see your picture!)

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram , Facebook or Twitter for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!