Who doesn’t love falafel? The most delicious falafel I have ever had was in Berlin. And it was quite cheap. Was it Maroush? I cannot remember- and writing these, I realize how much I am missing that city. If there is a Berliner among you, they should please send me a note! Sigh.
Anyway, I digress. Aside from that experience in Berlin, I think I must have made the most delicious and the healthiest falafel thanks to my pure curiosity which never disappoints me. My darling friend gave me the best birthday present last February: A Philips Airfryer. Since then, it is quite rare for us to not benefit from this amazing tool. We have “fried” everything from kale (my favourite) to potatoes, from carrots to edamame. Well, yesterday, when I decided to make falafels, I decided to try air-fry them, instead of deep frying!
Now, if you do not own an air fryer, do not worry. I will have an oven option too, which is really, really tasty as well. Just go with non-cooked chickpeas, meaning, not the canned version. Using the canned version prevents the crispiness. Okay, here we go.
The yummy main Ingredients
500g chickeas
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp olive oil
a handful of parsley (and/or cilantro. I used both, and even added a little bit of dill).
Important notes:
1. If you can, get uncooked chickpeas. I find that using canned chickpeas prevents that crunchiness of falafels. If you have canned chickpeas lying around, and you need to use them, that’s fine too. In that case, you might want to increase the heat a little bit.
2. If you do not want to use oil, that’s still fine. Believe it or not, I did not have olive oil at home when I made these. So I just doubled the tahini, and used 1 tbsp of tahini.
the yummy spices to use
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper powder (or chili, or paprika).
A hint of sea salt
A hint of lemon pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Notes on spices:
1. If you do not like it spicy, feel free to use less chili.
2. David does not like garlic, so I did not add the cloves this time. BUT I did use a little bit of garlic salt instead, so I opted out of the salt as well.
3. If you’d like to bake them, you might want to add a 1/4 tsp baking powder.
How to make these babies
First, you want to soak the chickpeas in water overnight (or around 12 hours minimum). Drain them, and place in a food processor along with all the other ingredients. Process until the mixture holds together when squeezed into balls. Taste and season more to your liking if it needs more spice.
If you are using an air-fryer
Shape into balls and put in the freezer for around half an hour. Take them out, oil spray them (I trust this brand), and put in your air fryer for around 20-22 minutes at 375°F. I had to experiment with mine. We usually air-fry at 350°F, but realized that 375°F makes them crispier. I suggest you start with 20 minutes, check if they are done to your liking, and go on air-frying if you like them crispier.
If you are baking them
These are delicious baked, too! Preheat the oven to 375°F and oil spray (or grease) a Pyrex container (or a baking sheet). Squeeze the falafel mixture into balls and flatten them slightly into patties. Place the patties on the baking sheet. Oil spray the tops of the patties and bake for around 15 minutes. Then, flip them and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.
I served them with air-fried mixed veggies, but you can serve them in a pida bread with delicious hummus and a little bit of greens (like parsley or cilantro) or tomatoes.
I had only a few left from the night before, and had the leftovers for breakfast this morning!
I could swear that they tasted even better!
