Falafels, @#$% Yeah!
I love falafels. They are one of those foods that benefit from interpretation. Which has led to so many different flavors and styles of falafels. Seriously, you could write a book on just the many different falafel flavors out there.
I love it. But I’ve never tried making my own. After one particularly delicious falafel sandwich, the idea creeped into my head. How can I make my own falafels?
I wanted to mix the classic falafel flavor with something a bit new. And landed on my go-to favorite flavor – the smoky spiciness of chipotle peppers.
Some Recipe Notes:
- If you try this and find you really love making homemade falafels, I’d recommend investing in a falafel press. You’ll get beautiful restaurant quality falafels, as opposed to the monstrosity that my falafels looked like. But hey, food doesn’t have to be pretty to be delicious.
- If you don’t feel like frying (trust me, it gets messy) you can also bake the falafel. I haven’t done it myself, but it’s something I’m gonna try in the future.
Time You’ll Need:
- ~25 minutes prep
- ~25 minutes cooking
What You’ll Need:
- 1 chopped poblano pepper
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp of cumin
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped basil
- 3 cups of vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 can of chickpeas, drained and dried
- .11 oz can of chipotle peppers with adobo sauce
What You’ll Do:
- In a blender or food processor, lightly chop up the chipotle peppers along with a tablespoon of the adobo sauce.
- Add the drained and dried chickpeas, chipotle peppers, chopped poblano, chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped basil & parsley, salt and pepper (to taste), cumin, lime juice, flour and baking powder to a large mixing bowl.
- Using either a mixer, blender/food processor, or by hand, mix everything together until it starts to form a semi-fine paste.
- Heat oil in a sauce pan till it’s around 350 degrees.
- Shape the paste into small round balls (add more flour as a binding agent if needed).
- Fry one at a time for about 5 minutes (until dark crispy brown).
- Place the cooked falafels onto a plate and paper towel to absorb grease.
- Eat the falafels as is, or as a sandwich on folded pita with olive and chipotle aioli!
