#131 Baked Falafel

After I successfully made the pita bread, I immediately looked for falafel recipes. Falafel is a traditional Arab food, it is a deep fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans or both, ground fresh parsley, garlic, onion and spices. Believed to have originated in Egypt, first made by the Copts as a replacement for meat during lent, it has spread all over the middle east as street food and around the world. I learned also that in some countries, McDonald's serve "McFalafel". :) I first tried this dish 3 years ago  and it was absolutely divine! And because I have that memory, my expectations were high on this one. I was getting ready to fry it but I found a good recipe for baked falafels. I decided to try the baked ones out of curiosity and to cut on the fats.

And it turned out great! At first I was a little worried because the mixture was too runny, but then it hardened perfectly in the oven.  I made the patties too thin I guess, but the flavors were all there, very very delicious!

Yield: Serves 2-4

BAKED FALAFEL
 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed

and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Wrap onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside. Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Mix garbanzo bean mixture and onion together in a bowl. Stir in the flour and egg. Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from here

 

 

Yes, I will make it again. :)

So yummy!