falafel attempt #1

so, i was hanging out with my good girlfriend Charity and her baby girl Moriah the other day (pictured at left). to no one's surprise, food came up in the conversation. we decided to spontaneously make falafel since neither of us had made it from scratch before and had the intense desire to do so. we rushed out to the store and got the ingredients.


for documentation purposes (and because i love pictures)

me assembling the falafel. notice the happy face.

again, the falafel.


putting the falafel in the oil...


and watching it fall apart... i don't know if you can tell, but i'm very sad.


we ended up straining out the pieces of falafel and eating them as is, still VERY yummy.

but... i still don't know what went wrong. my other girlfriend Gina (who still doesn't understand why i didn't call her and ask for help) said she thinks it was because the oil wasn't hot enough. she said she doesn't deep fry the falafel, but pan fries them.
simon from the mediterranean store in roseville (a little plug for the palms mediterranean store on douglas and harding that just opened) said that you don't want the oil to be too hot. his solution was getting his wife to make them the right way for me. well simon, that doesn't solve my problem: i still wouldn't know how to make it. oy!

so i don't know what happened. one thing i do know, charity and i will try again, and this time i will get her in the pictures, getting her hands dirty!

and for the sake of actually getting help, here's the recipe we followed for FALAFEL:

Middle Eastern:
How To Make Falafel

Step 1:

You will need…

• 8 ¾ oz chickpeas
• 3 cloves of garlic , chopped
• 1 handful of parsley , chopped
• 1 handful of coriander , chopped
• 1 chilli , chopped
• 2 tbsp flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander seeds , crushed
• 2 1⁄8 pt vegetable oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 blender or food processor
• 2 bowls
• 1 spoon
• 1 tray
• 1 slotted spoon
• 1 saucepan
• paper towel

Step 2:

Prepare the chickpeas

Take a large bowl and put in the chickpeas. Then, pour over enough water to cover the chickpeas and an additional 2 cm more. Leave to soak overnight. In the morning they will look plump and swollen.

Step 3:

Drain and purée chickpeas

Hold the chickpeas over the sink and drain off the water with your hand over the bowl.

Now spoon the chickpeas into the blender bowl.

Don't overfill the blender! If the blender is small, you will have to do it in batches. If you have a bigger mixer you can do it all at once.

Close the blender and pulse a couple of times, then blend on full power until you create a breadcrumb like mixture. Check the consistency by stirring with a spoon. If necessary, blend again on full power until you create a fine purée. Then transfer into a bowl.

Step 4:

Purée the rest of ingredients

Introduce the parsley, coriander, chilli, garlic along with 2 tablespoons of the puréed chickpeas into the bowl of the blender. Put the lid on and blend until well combined.

Step 5:

Mix and season

Spoon the blended mixture into the bowl of puréed chickpeas. Then add the flour, the cumin, the crushed coriander seeds, the baking soda and about one and a half tablespoons of salt. Finally, add some pepper. Combine it all together thoroughly with a spoon. If it looks too dry, a few drops of water can be added.

Step 6:

Preheat the oil

Place the saucepan on the hob and add the oil. Then heat it up on a medium high setting.

Step 7:

Make the Falafel balls

Take a small amount of the blended mixture in your fingertips and mould into small balls. Then place onto a baking tray.

This amount of ingredients should make around twenty five to thirty balls.

Kept covered, this mixture will keep for one day in the fridge.

Step 8:

Fry the Falafel balls

The oil should now be hot enough to fry. Individually, spoon half the batch of falafel balls into the oil. Allow to fry for 2 minutes until golden brown, stirring with the slotted spoon, so they brown evenly. Then remove and drain on a tray prepared with some kitchen towel. Now repeat the process with the remaining falafel balls.

Step 9:

Serve and enjoy

The falafel balls are now ready! They are usually served inside pitta bread with tahini, humus, or chopped salad.

lemme know your thoughts.