Egyptian Falafel, also called Ta’ameya, is made with fava beans. I have elected to make it with both fava beans and chickpeas mixed with spices, onions, and chilis. These patties are then deep-fried or air-fried to a golden brown and are a perfect snack for any time of the day.
Whether you choose to subscribe to the story that the Falafel is from Egypt or the Levant or even from India, there is no disputing the fact that this falafel is fast becoming a popular dish. In Egypt, the falafel is sold as street food.
You can get falafel pretty much everywhere these days. On very busy days, I like to pre-make a large batch, scoop out the portions and then freeze it. I defrost the mixture overnight, and then air fries the falafels the following day. The advent of air frying has made this dish a lot healthier and significantly faster, although there is more charm and flavor in deep-frying them. Air frying the falafels made it easier for me to even cook them in batches for my kids’ birthday parties. All the ingredients are smoothly ground in a falafel, which is why kids seem to love this snack at parties.
When my kids were younger, they loved falafel served in a pita pocket with pickled vegetables, smothered in hummus or tahini. As they got older, they tried it with naan, or lavash or even as a standalone salad. Falafel is one of those dishes that can be tastefully served in a variety of ways, depending on the setting and of course, condiments. Other ways to serve the falafels are to compose them with a traditional tabbouleh or just a green salad. Serving falafel in pouches with salad and tahini sauce creates a whole spectrum of varying colors, textures, and even shapes.
Why the Egyptian Falafel is a healthy snack?
The Egyptian fava beans, made popular by Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, are rich in folate, manganese, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potassium, thiamine (vitamin B1), and zinc. In addition to being abundant in vitamins and minerals, they are also soluble fiber which aids digestion and lowers bad cholesterol. Chickpeas, likewise, have all the benefits of fava beans, but they also contain selenium. This is one of the reasons why I tweaked this recipe by making my falafel with a mixture of both fava beans and chickpeas.
I substituted the more common parsley, which has a slightly bitter aftertaste, with mint. I find that fresh mint leaves uplift this earthy dish by adding a sweetness that is both cool and refreshing. It goes without saying that you can customize the falafel with a variety of herbs that will add an additional dimension of flavor. Air-frying the falafel instead of deep-frying them makes them even healthier.
How to make Egyptian Falafel:
- Drain the water from the soaked fava beans and chickpeas. Grind both coarsely in a food processor.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of the soaked water to the food processor and grind with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Grind to a slightly grainy consistency and not too smooth. Use very little soaked water if necessary. Do not add too much water, lest the balls will disintegrate while frying. Add a pinch of baking soda, and let the batter rest for 40 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Use a spoon to scoop some batter, shape into balls or teardrop-shaped patties.
5. Heat oil in deep frying pan. Reduce to medium heat and gently slide the patties in. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Keep turning the patties over using a slotted spoon.
6. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with hummus or as a sandwich with salad.
1. The most important tip that I want to share with you is that the batter must not be watery. It should be firm, can be slightly grainy, and hold its shape on the spoon.
2. The oil must be hot. You can test the heat by adding a small dollop of the batter that should bubble and rise to the top. Turn down the heat to medium and then slide the patty one at a time.
3. Do not drop the patties into the hot oil. Slide them in and fry them in small batches of 4-6 at a time.
4. If using fresh fava beans, then you need not soak them overnight.
5. Add very little water or as needed to make a thick consistency.
6. If the batter is too thin or runny, just add some breadcrumbs and make balls.
How to serve the Egyptian Falafel:
I have served the falafel with one of my Best Hummus Flavors as a condiment. The Egyptian falafel served alongside an assortment of hummus makes for a perfect snack any time of the day. Sometimes I even smother the falafel with hummus and sprinkle sesame on top for my children. But one of the most endearing characteristics of the falafel is that they are a healthy, quick, cost-effective, and exotic dish to serve at large parties or at buffet dinners. They are a perennial party favorite for vegetarians and those in search of gluten-free snacks.
How to store the Egyptian Falafel:
Refrigerate the patties for 3-4 days or freeze leftovers in airtight boxes for three months. Even the batter can be frozen and the patties can be deep-fried or air-fried on the day of.
Egyptian Falafel
Equipment
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried fava beans soaked overnight
- ½ cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight
- 1 red onion small, cut into quarters
- 2 Thai green chilis
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 sprigs mint leaves
- 2 sprigs cilantro
- a pinch turmeric powder
- a pinch cayenne powder
- a pinch baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Drain the water from the soaked fava beans and chickpeas. Grind both to a slightly coarse texture in a food processor.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the soaked water to the food processor and grind with the rest of the ingredients.
- Grind to a slightly grainy consistency and not too smooth. Use very little soaked water if necessary. Do not add too much water, lest the balls will disintegrate while frying. Add a pinch of baking soda and let the batter rest for 40 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Use a spoon to scoop some batter, shape into balls or teardrop-shaped patties.
- Heat oil in deep frying pan. Reduce to medium heat and gently slide the patties in. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Keep turning the patties over using a slotted spoon.
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve with hummus or as a sandwich with salad.
Notes
- Cooking the soaked beans is not necessary although the beans must be soaked overnight.
- You could use only fava beans without the chickpeas if you like.
- Both mint and cilantro bring out a unique flavor.
- Topping the falafel with sesame seeds is optional. I served my falafel with hummus which contains sesame seeds, so I omitted them.
Nutrition
Thanks for the tip on boiling the chickpeas! Very helpful