Falafel is a widely eaten across the Middle-Eastern as a snack or in a wrap. Traditionally, they are deep-fried balls made of chickpeas ground with a blend of herbs and spices. My version slightly deviates from the traditional version as I have added roasted red peppers and used a Paniyaram (Appam) pan to retain the round shape of the balls but not deep-fry them. If you do not have this pan, you can also shallow fry them. They will turn out more like patties but still taste the same. I enjoyed this with Batata Harra, Hummus and Tzatziki but you can complement this with pita bread, salad or even harissa paste.
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Total cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 falafels
Ingredients
- 120 gms dried chickpeas soaked overnight (you can use 160 gms canned chickpeas that are drained as well)
- 1 red pepper (sliced long)
- ½ onion (roughly chopped)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 7-8 garlic cloves
- 3 dried red chillies (you can use ½ tsp red chilli powder as an alternative)
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp fresh parlsey
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp mild red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp oil to fry each falafel
Method
- In a pan, drizzle ½ tbsp olive oil and roast the red pepper until it begins to char.
- While that is charring, in a blender, blend the soaked chickpeas, onion, garlic, whole wheat flour, fresh coriander, fresh parsley, salt, dried red chillies (or red chilli powder), mild red chilli powder, ground black pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, baking soda, ½ tbsp olive oil.
- Start to blend. Once the red pepper has charred, add it along with fresh lemon juice as well and blend to a smooth paste.
4. Transfer to a bowl and add the sesame seeds and mix. If the mixture is very sticky, you can add 1 more tbsp of whole wheat flour.
5. Form balls of about 1 inch diameter.
6. Heat the Paniyaram/appam pan (or a regular pan) with 1 tsp oil in each hole.
7. Once hot, add the falafel balls and cook on medium heat until the bottom half is dark brown and crispy. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
8. Using skewers, flip over and cook the other half for a further 3-4 minutes.
9. Repeat until all falafels are cooked.
10. Serve hot with accompaniments of your choice.
Hope you enjoy this!
Payal
P&K's Food Heaven 
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