I would say that we call falafel, fried chickpea balls in the size of walnuts, let’s write a short recipe and continue on our way, but falafel is not just falafel. We’ll see in the next paragraph.
Falafel is a food that has been the subject of discussion, from its etymology, history, recipe, and how to eat it. Without bothering you too much, I would like to briefly touch on most of these details and finally give the description. If you just want to know the recipe, there is no harm in making a quick trip to the bottom of the page.
What is the correct spelling of the word and where does it come from? Its source goes all the way to Coptic and even Aramaic. The Arabic word felafel, Egyptian ṭaʿmiyya, Hebrew falafel is thought to come from the Aramaic word pilpal (small round thing). While the source of the word goes back to BC, he managed to survive until today, but what adventures he had.
My inquiries and searches on the internet, frankly, did not give very precise information. Most sources say that the Copts , who were the natives of Egypt in the Hellenistic and Roman times, did not consume meat and milk products, and that it was a meal they made with dried broad beans during the period of great abstinence, which lasted about 40 days. The same sources date the falafel back to the 1st century AD. Of course, there are different theories. For example, geography is the same pattern, a theory that retraces history a little says that falafel was eaten during the time of the pharaohs. Another theory claims that falafel is an Indian dish.
Let’s vote for the Copts for now. Since Alexandria, where the Copts lived, was an important port and trade city at that time, this simple but delicious dish spreads quickly to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. There have been some changes in the recipe since then. For example, chickpeas are being used instead of dried broad beans. But it should be noted that falafel is still made with dried broad beans in Egypt. Years pass, there are wars in the world, people die, new ones are born; Countries are falling apart, new countries are emerging, but falafel is always eaten. Of course, falafel is popular in Israel, which was founded after the Second World War. Especially at the beginning of the 50’s, falafel becomes different with the immigration of Yemeni Jews to Israel. Previously, fried falafel balls were consumed plain. New immigrants from Yemen are thinking of putting it in their pita bread. Not only that, they’re squeezing in combinations of pickles, hummus, tahini sauce, and mouth-watering food that goes on and on, apart from falafel. Thus, while falafel is a food that is fried, put on a funnel-shaped newspaper and eaten while walking on the road, it becomes a meal that can be combined with bread and sauces and can feed you for a day. But their stories don’t end. While it is a food that is put on a funnel-shaped newspaper and eaten while walking on the road, it becomes a meal that can fill you up for a meal when combined with bread and sauces, and its popularity is accelerating and spreading all over the world. But their stories don’t end. While it is a food that is put on a funnel-shaped newspaper and eaten while walking on the road, it becomes a meal that can fill you up for a meal when combined with bread and sauces, and its popularity is accelerating and spreading all over the world. But their stories don’t end.
Invented by Egyptian Christians, spread in the Muslim Middle East, put into bread by Yemeni Jews, declared as the national food of Israel and Egypt, considered a traditional Turkish dish because it is mostly sold in Turkish restaurants in Germany. In a world of Jordanians frying in liters of oil, falafel feels like something more than just a simple snack.
Now let’s get to the recipe. But let me tell you in advance, I cannot give a precise recipe in the form of 160 g of it and 298 g of water and boiling it for 23 minutes. The falafel we have made in different places I have worked so far have always had different recipes. Inspired by these, I will explain the recipe I made at home with alternatives.
Materials
Chickpea; Half a kilo of chickpeas feeds 4 people with falafel. Soak the chickpeas 1 night in advance, if you forget to make falafel the next day or if you don’t have time, you can change the water and leave it in the fridge the next day.
Onions, garlic; 1 onion is enough for half a kilo of chickpeas, if you want to add more, you will have to remove the water. I’ll leave the garlic issue to you. According to your love of garlic, you can not add any or you can make falafels with intense garlic flavor with 6-7 teeth.
fresh herbs; first coriander, then parsley, dill, basil, mint… You should put plenty of those you have on hand. I especially recommend that you keep plenty of fresh cilantro. But let me reiterate, use fresh herbs for a good falafel.
Fresh ginger; Ginger is a strong spice, but it deepens the taste of falafel with its aroma. A 1-2 cm piece of ginger will be enough for half a kilo of chickpeas.
baking soda and salt; 1 teaspoon of baking soda helps to make the falafel softer on the inside and crisp on the teeth.
Apart from these, you can also add the ones you want from red bell pepper, powdered chorizo, hot pepper as an alternative.
Finally, of course, oil and some breadcrumbs for frying
Preparation of
Take the chickpeas out of the water, drain and dry thoroughly. After that, the aim is to cut the chickpeas into as small pieces as possible. Using a food processor or meat grinder is the best solution. With one of these tools, take all the chickpeas and grind them into powder as much as possible. Then pull the onion ginger and all the greens in the same way. Before mixing them with chickpeas, squeeze a little with your hand, take out the juice and throw it away. Although the juice of the onion and other greens tastes good, we have to throw away some of it because it will make the consistency of the falafel dough soggy. After doing this, mix everything except breadcrumbs. It should be in a color close to green and in a consistency that cannot be too wet. It should not fall apart when you take a little bit of dough in your hand and squeeze it. Despite all your drying and water removal efforts, if the falafel dough is still in a watery consistency due to the unknown reasons of the universe, we do not throw the dough out. We throw the breadcrumbs, which is written in the ingredients section but we have not used until now, into the dough and mix it. It would be beneficial to add a little salt along with the breadcrumbs. I think our dough is ready.
After that, you can make walnut-sized balls from the dough and start heating the oil in a frying pan or wherever you want. Before you start frying, your oil needs to be warmed up, otherwise the falafel sticks to the bottom of the pot, then the oil absorbs and softens, while trying to free the falafel that sticks to the bottom of the pot, it softens when you touch it, and the small pieces of it spread over the whole pot, and the small pieces of muhut spread over the whole pot, the balls of which are fried instead of burning in your oil. chickpea and coriander particles. I can’t tell the rest of it because it’s a very sad story. Make sure your essential oil is hot enough (at least 180 degrees Celsius). Throw the falafel balls into the oil and start frying. After 1-2 minutes, you can reduce the fire a little, you can let the falafel cook inside without burning the outside.
Falafels are ready to beat. You can eat it plain or with pita bread, hummus, tahini sauce, pickles…. I wanted to briefly describe the production of some of them, but I changed my mind to describe it in a little more detail in another article recently. You prepare the falafels for now, and I’ll prepare the recipe for hummus, tahini sauce, pita and other good things that come to mind.
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