Easy vegan falafel recipe | Jamie Oliver vegan recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my falafel not fluffy? ›

They have to have enough fresh herbs and onion. Too much onion and your falafel will have a bad after taste. Too little and they won't be as moist and fluffy as they should be. It's all about balance.

What are the ingredients? Traditionally, falafel is made from dried chickpeas and/or includes fava beans. I opted for a more simple version, using canned chickpeas so you don't have to wait for the chickpeas to soak overnight or worry about not being able to find ingredients.

If you cook those dried chickpeas before making falafel, you run into the same issues you find with canned—they just don't bind. The key to great falafel is to soak the dried chickpeas, but grind them while they're still completely raw.

Serving falafel with sauce is a must to keep them moist. We use hummus but feel free to have tahini or even tzatziki with it.

Baking soda and powder: Baking soda breaks down and softens the chickpeas as they soak. Baking powder, mixed in just before baking, makes the falafel light and airy.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

The problem is that canned chickpeas have too much moisture. The result is a dough that doesn't quite stick together, and tends to spread or flatten out in the pan. This is sad falafel and we don't want that.

A binding ingredient can help keep it together, especially if you are using canned beans instead of dried. And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties.

Many Muslim and Jewish diners love falafels. Islamic and Jewish dietary laws enjoy a host of parallels. They share the ban on the consumption of pork and blood. They also put a great focus on maintaining cleanliness to ensure the purity of their food.

If you don't have time to soak your beans ahead of time, you can use this “quick soak” method, which shortens the overall cooking time. To quick soak beans: Pour the dry beans into a saucepan and cover them with 3 inches of water. Bring a boil, and let it boil for 5 minutes.

Can you boil chickpeas instead of soaking for falafel? ›

There are two methods for soaking the chickpeas for making falafel. The first and simplest is to soak the chickpeas at room temperature for 20 to 24 hours. The second option, and the one best for nights when you forgot to soak the chickpeas, is to quickly boil the chickpeas and then set them aside to soak for an hour.

Achieving the right oil temperature is crucial for a successful falafel fry. If the oil is too hot, the exterior may cook too quickly, leaving the inside undercooked and prone to falling apart. Conversely, if the oil is not hot enough, the falafel might absorb excess oil, leading to a mushy texture.

- Spices: cumin, coriander, and a little cayenne pepper. Along with the fresh herbs, this trio of spices is what gives falafel it's bold authentic taste. - Baking powder: this is what gives falafel an airy, fluffy texture (many recipes skip this, causing the falafel to come out too dense.)

Its the deep frying in oil that should cook the beans. The moisture in the pre cooked beans make the falafels soggy and fall apart whereas frying the uncooked chickpeas makes them crispier.

Just be sure you don't overwork the falafel batter. Handle it as little as possible and use a scoop to form the balls and drop them into the oil. Specialty shops actually sell a falafel former but a cookie scoop will work just fine. Otherwise, you might end up with hard, dense nuggets instead of a crispy, airy bite.

A perfect falafel is the one that has a crispy exterior and a chunky interior. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you achieve the best results and make falafels like a pro. What beans to use ? You can make falafel with chickpeas or fava beans, or from a mixture of both chickpeas and fava beans.

Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy. Soak the dried chickpeas for at least four hours. If your chickpeas aren't sufficiently softened, you'll have unpalatably tough pieces of chickpea in your falafel.

To help out, I often stir a little flour into the mixture along with some baking powder — the flour binds the falafel together while the baking powder helps keep them from being too dense. Resting the mixture overnight before baking the patties also helps them hold together a little better.