Middle East Recipes – Falafel

Falafel are small fried balls made up of crushed chickpeas, fava beans or both, and various spices. It has been suggested that the dish has its origins in Egypt, though today is widely consumed across North Africa and the Middle East, and even as far as Greece!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried fava beans
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt
• pepper
• oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Place the dried fava beans in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight – then drain and place in pan with fresh water and bring to a boil.

2. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour. Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

3. Combine the fava beans, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper to taste in medium bowl and add flour. Mash the fava beans and mix theingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. The end result should be a thick paste.

4. Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten, then fry in 2 inches of oil until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Serve hot.