Ingredients

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150g dried chickpeas

1 white onion

15g fresh parsley

15g fresh coriander

4-5 garlic cloves 

Seasoning mix

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

½  tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp salt 

2 L vegetable oil (or preferred neutral oil)

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It’s taken me a while - a serious while - to get falafel down. This is a notoriously tricky one for home cooks. Ultimately you have to just make it - no tricks or shortcuts. No binders, no pan frying, no oven versions, no pre-made stuff.

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You must use dried chickpeas for this. The starch they release is what holds the balls together. Using the tinned variety will result in them falling apart.

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Using a meat grinder (I just have an old-school manual one) is a better technique than a blender – it gets a more uniform grind. Put the onion through with it rather than grating it, ensuring everything is even. 

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You can serve these by themselves with tahini sauce, or with rice and salad, or as a wrap. I like to serve with my homemade naans, tahini sauce (or hummus if you want double chickpea action), a salad (either a chopped salad, or a watercress and grapefruit salad also works well),  a hot sauce, and a side of fries (you’re already deep frying, so you might as well make fries).

1.  Cover the chickpeas in 4 times their volume of water in a non-reactive bowl. Leave in the fridge for a day or two. Note you don’t cook them at all prior to frying, just rehydrate them.
    

2. Dice the onion. Chop the garlic and herbs. Dry roast the spices and grind in a pestle and mortar. Combine with chickpeas, onion, herbs, and salt.
    

3. Grind the mixture in a meat grinder. The trick is not to add too much at once, or try and stuff it in like you would with meat. Just be patient and add a tbsp at a time. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
    

4. Heat oil in a large (5L) cast iron or enamel to 360 f for a final cooking temp of 320-330 f. Shape the mix into balls (about a heaped tbsp each). Get them as smooth and round as possible. 
    

5. Drop the balls into the oil gently in batches. Cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown, moving around gently with a slotted spoon for the last 2 minutes. Remove and place onto kitchen paper. Serve immediately.