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Homemade Falafel

📍 Líbano
⏱️Prep: 30 min
🔥Cook: 10 min
Total: 40 min
🍽️6 servings
Difficulty: Medium

Homemade falafel is the vegetable croquette of the Eastern Mediterranean: balls or discs of raw chickpeas ground with parsley, cilantro, cumin and garlic, fried until crisp on the outside and tender inside. Unlike hummus, the chickpeas are not cooked: they are soaked in cold water for 12 hours and ground raw, giving a green interior and a crunchy exterior. Pita bread, tahini and a tomato salad complete the dish.

🛒 Ingredients

6 servings
  • 300g dry chickpeas
  • 1 onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 50g fresh parsley
  • 30g fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • salt 
  • oil for frying

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

  1. Soak the chickpeas 12–24 h (do not cook).

  2. Grind raw chickpeas with onion, garlic, herbs and spices until a coarse paste forms.

  3. Add baking soda and salt.

  4. Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

  5. Shape balls using a spoon or a mold.

  6. Fry in oil at 175 °C for 4–5 minutes until golden.

  7. Serve in pita bread with tahini, salad and pickles.

💡 Chef's tip

Raw, uncooked chickpeas: that's the secret that distinguishes authentic falafel from a dry one. The paste should not be too fine.

📝 Our take

Falafel made with raw chickpeas is a different dish: denser, crispier, with that characteristic vegetal bitterness that disappears if you use cooked or canned chickpeas. Let the mixture chill well before shaping the balls, and avoid making them too small or they will dry out inside.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

Rose water or lemon water with iced mint. Or a dry Lebanese white wine such as Ksara Blanc de Blancs.

Suggested wine: Dry Lebanese white wine such as Ksara or Premier Cru Chablis

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