Falafel

  I made this falafel in a heartbeat and you can too!

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup dried chickpeas
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Scant teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 1 cup chopped parsley or cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, for frying

Method

• 1. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 or 4 inches; they will triple in volume. Soak for 24 hours, adding water if needed to keep beans submerged.
• 2. Drain beans well (reserve soaking water) and transfer to a food processor. Add remaining ingredients except oil; pulse until minced but not pureed, scraping sides of bowl down; add soaking water if necessary to allow machine to do its work, but no more than 1 or 2 tablespoons. Keep pulsing until mixture comes together. Taste, adding salt, pepper, cayenne or lemon juice to taste.
• 3. Put the oil in a large, deep saucepan to a depth of at least 2 inches; more is better. The narrower the saucepan the less oil you need, but the more oil you use the more patties you can cook at a time. Turn heat to medium-high and heat oil to about 350 degrees (a pinch of batter will sizzle immediately).
• 4. Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter and shape into balls or small patties. Fry in batches, without crowding, until nicely browned, turning as necessary; total cooking time will be less than 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.