What worked: Each of these falafel’s deep brown and crunchy exteriors gives way to a warm, fragrant, and tender center. They’re fairly easy to make, and miles better than the leaden pucks masquerading as food in many a Middle Eastern wrap.
What didn’t: I couldn’t eek out 24 falafels from the recipe (more like 18), and they cooked a bit more quickly than advertised (4 minutes instead of 5). If you’re a big falafel eater (or feeding a crowd) double up on the recipe for sure.
Suggested tweaks: You can fry these and reheat them in the oven if necessary. 350 for 8 to 10 minutes does the trick. As written, the falafels are fairly spicy; if you’re looking to tone it down, reduce the chili flakes to 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon.
1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 medium-sized onion, quartered
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 springs of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes or 1 whole hot chile pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
