So, what is it with falafel?  It is a humble patty made of pulse with some spices, fried and then eaten with bread.  Because of its post-frying colour brown, it is sometimes known as the ‘poor man’s meat’.  Indeed, due to its cheap ingredients and simplicity of preparation, it is traditionally eaten by people of limited means.

There are many claims as to its origins being from Turkey, Egypt, and different parts of the Levant Region.  In fact, the mix of ingredients has so many variations to make a definitive judgement as to where it originated almost impossible.

In the last 30 years or so, falafel has enjoyed a widespread popularity amongst the more affluent sections of Middle Eastern societies.  Not only that, but the West has also discovered the delights of falafel as more and more food lovers widened their experimentation with world foods beyond the already established Chinese, Indian and Japanese cuisine.  From the Middle East, falafel found favour along with hummus, baba ghanouge, shish kebabs, and various mezzeh dishes.

What is not so obvious but inevitable, falafel has become a generic name for a variety of different ingredients and tastes as in risotto, curry or sushi.  The question is: which is the best falafel amongst this plethora of variations?  To be honest with you, this is a matter of taste and therefore, there can never be an absolute universal best.  However, there are bad, very bad falafels out there whereby I would rather slash my wrists than to take a single bite.

Being an unashamed foodie, I made it my business to master the dark art of making at least very good, if not excellent falafel.  Once I had taken my version of falafel as far as I can or want, I half-jokingly claimed to anyone willing to listen that mine was the best falafel this side of the Milky Way.  Not only that, I also claimed that the recipe is an old family formula passed down from one generation to the next and we are sworn on pain of death not to share it with anyone outside the Sukkar Family.  Needless to say, it was total fabrication on my part.  As a matter of fact, on countless occasions, I gave out the recipe or even offered to prepare a batch together with anyone who asked, nicely!

So, what did I do to master the art of making very good falafel?  First, I settled on a specific set of ingredients and second, I practiced a lot.  It is one of life’s eureka moments when I realised that the best version of falafel I was happy to make, eat and offer to family and friends was very simple indeed.  If there is a secret I can share with you, it is the simplicity of the recipe and avoiding unnecessary embellishment with this or that.  Here are other tips for you to bear in mind when attempting to make delicious simple falafel:

  • Use equal weight of chickpeas and peeled fava/dried broad beans (stocked in oriental and Middle Eastern stores).Make sure you soak the pulse for at least 24 hours.
  • Be sparing with the onions but you can be as generous as you want with the garlic
  • Be sparing with parsley and generous with fresh coriander
  • Three quarter of the mixture should be processed finely, and the last quarter leave a little coarser.
  • Apart from salt, I only use ground black pepper, ground coriander, and ground cumin.
  • Add a small amount of bicarbonate of soda 15 minutes or so before frying the falafel.Although it does not add or subtract from the eventual taste, this makes the texture light and less stodgy.

I honestly do not think there is a need for anything else to produce and experience the most delicious and simple falafel which can be eaten by dipping as a patty in hummus, tahini mix, or yoghurt dip.  In particular, falafel spectacularly lends itself as the main sandwich filler in warm pitta bread with additional garnish like lettuce, cucumber, tomato slices, pickles, chili sauce, tahini dip or anything that takes your fancy.  It is the ultimate designer sandwich.

Clearly, I have not given you a full recipe here because I assume prior knowledge of falafel making However, if you really want a full recipe, let me know and I will send you my step-by-step recipe sheet.

Enjoy!

 

Mufid Sukkar – May 2020