Falafel

Falafel is obviously not a new dish for anyone but I guess that these are mostly reserved for a takeaway or as a ready meal. In my humble opinion, these are definitely better than the shop bought falafel. Although, I readily admit that nothing beats those bought on a stand in Israel or from Pilpel in London – my favourite place for lunch. I am sincerely hoping that it can ride out the Coronovirus crisis.

Recipe – makes enough for 6/8; any spare freeze well

• 450g dried chickpeas
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 3-5 garlic cloves
• 1.5 tbsp flour
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch of ground cardamon

Method

• Soak the chickpeas overnight, you’ll need a big bowl for this, they always swell more than I expect.
• Put all ingredients into a food processor
• Refrigerate for 1-2 hours
• With slightly oiled hands, shape the mix into balls ready for frying; or you can do this as you go along as I do
• Find a pan that you can heat a good amount of oil in; they don’t have to be deep fried, they can be turned but the oil will still need to be a few cm high. I fry mine in a wok and turn over with a metal slotted spoon.