Baked Chickpea Falafel

**Jubes**'s Note:

I like that the falafel are baked instead of pan-fried. I have made falafel before that fall apart in the pan. From a borrowed library book "The ultimate book of vegan cooking". Instead of cooking soaked chickpeas by boiling you may prefer to pressure cook them. Gluten-free if gf ingredients are used. Can be served with a salad, on pita bread or with tahini. Cooking time does not include overnight soaking of the beans.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 3/4 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and soak overnight in plenty of cold water.
2. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them. Pick over and remove nay discoloured or bad looking chickpeas.
3. Place the soaked chickpeas into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for ten minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour, or until soft. Drain.
4. Place the chickpeas into a food processore with the onion, garlic, parsley, crushed cumin, crushed corainder and baking powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Process until the mixture forms a firm paste.
5. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F ).
6. Divide the mixture into walnut sized pieces. Roll them into balls in your hands and then flatten them slightly.
7. Roll the balls in olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Serve falafel immediately.

Reviews

[Lalaloula]

Mmmm, these were really good! I loved the flavour combination of the chickpeas with the parsley, cumin and coriander. Very yummy!
The consistency my chickpeas had after processing was a bit runny, so I didnt roll them but just hand-formed them into little patties. After baking I let them sit for a few minutes on the baking sheet and that helped them firm up a bit. They were still quite delicate to handle, but that was totally fine by me.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this keeper with us, Jubes. I will make these again.
Made and reviewed for the AUS/NZ Recipe Swap #47 December 2010.

[JustJanS]

These were pretty yummy, but very delicate. I cooked then drained my chicpeas well, and went on with the recipe. I got a paste that was more like loose mashed potato rather than sticky. I sprayed the tray, then just plopped tablespoons of mixture onto the tray and formed into something roundish then sprayed again-no way I could have rolled them and rolled again in olive oil. Several (6 actually) of the cooked falafel actually fell to bits when I was getting them off the tray with the lifter. I read a few recipes after and they either contained burghul, breadcrumbs or flour. I know this doesn't fit your dietary needs Jubes, but it's definately something I'd do. All that said, these tasted really good and I would make them again.

[Mrs. Atkins]

The flavor of these were delicious! And the aroma from the crushed seeds incredible. I put the cumin seeds in a plastic bag and used a rolling pin to crush them. The coriander seeds were a little more difficult to crush since they are flat to begin with. I think a meat tenderizer or mortar and pestle would do the trick though.

Simply covering the chickpeas with water was not really enough to simmer for a full hour (I used a regular-sized saucepan), so I would recommend double the quantity as one would do with rice. I had to add more water half way through cooking, but they still softened without any trouble.

I put a tsp. of olive oil on the baking pan and used a paper towel to distribute it evenly. If I put a little on my hands, I could have rolled each falafel just as easily, or used an olive oil spray to a fine mist once they were on the pan, but I'm watching my dietary oil consumption and it wasn't really necessary to add flavor, since the onion, garlic and spices are already very aromatic. Greasing either the pan or the falafel is necessary however so they don't stick.

I found everything to hold pretty well together. I used the purée setting on my food processor. Just use a delicate touch when rolling them and you should be fine.

I forgot to flatten them slightly, so they were just round, but that was pretty much as I expected them. Excluding this step didn't seem to affect the final result.

I made a little persian salad/salsa to go with them. Fresh cut roma tomatoes, onions, and another half cup of parsley made for a delicious topping. Add a little humus and mmmmm! If you are doing gluten-free you can eat them without the pita this way and they are a meal on their own!

No doubt I will add this dish to my arsenal! It is a bit of effort for an everyday meal, but worth the time to have something carb-free that is both healthy and satisfying.