Felafel or Falafel is one of the vegetarians and simultaneously delicious sandwiches sold in all cities of Iran as cheap sandwiches. Middle Eastern food has found its place in the list of fast food restaurants in most parts of the world due to its good taste.
Felafel is a delicious Iranian fast food made from a combination of ground chickpeas with special and delicious spices. It is fried in oil and served with bread, along with tomatoes, pickled cucumber, and various Iranian pickles.
Felafel is a type of food in the form of round balls; the main ingredient is chickpeas. This street food is a popular and famous sandwich not only in Arab countries and the Middle East but also in many Western countries such as America and England.
When we think of falafel, we often think of the country’s south, especially the city of Ahvaz. There is a street in this city where you can have the best and tastiest falafel with a variety of side dishes, such as cabbage salad, salad Shirazi, port pickles, chopped vegetables, and even fried eggplant in a baguette.
Southern falafel was very spicy in the past, so some fast food shops were more famous for their spiciness than the size of their sandwiches. Still, today, due to the wide acceptance of this food by people in other provinces, it is served with a normal taste and without uncomfortable spiciness.
Felafel has an Arabic origin; apparently, it is the plural of the Persian word for pepper. In Arabic grammar and syntax, it is one of the plural forms of the active verb used for four-letter words. Also, the word falafel originates from the Egyptian word pha la phel, which means a lot of legumes or beans.
Food researchers believe that this food originates from Egypt or India. However, this delicious and lovely dish is one of the top street food choices wherever it comes from.
Indeed, an important point must be remembered. Felafel is a completely vegetarian sandwich, and vegetarians will have a good choice when going to fast food restaurants.
What are the ingredients of felafel?
Felafel is naturally a gluten-free food that is made with only a few available ingredients:
Chickpeas: Use only dry and soaked chickpeas, not cooked chickpeas. Cooked chickpeas are too soft and moist, and the felafel will not form well. Only in the case of Lebanese falafel can the chickpeas be partially cooked.
Onion: You can use both red and yellow onions. Yellow onion is softer and has a good taste. There is no point in using white onion.
Parsley and Coriander: These two aromatic herbs add great flavour to your food and give it a nice green look. Remember to remove the stems and do not use them in felafel.
Garlic and Shallot: These two together create a great flavour, but usually, fresh shallots are not available, and garlic does its job on its own.
Remember, this food is not supposed to taste garlic, but garlic gives it flavour. I recommend you eliminate the thought of using garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
Hot Green Chili: A small hot green pepper brings in the hot flavour, even without the need for chilli powder. You can increase or decrease it, but never remove it. If you have yet to try it, try it this time.
Cumin, Coriander Seed, and Red Pepper: This hot and aromatic spice mix makes it fragrant and gives it a wonderful taste.
I use a lot of cumin, but this is a matter of taste. I have also seen cardamom in some sources, which is not at all to my taste, but in some Arabic dishes in the south, it is used in large amounts so that the food has a clear taste of cardamom.
Grated Lemon Zest: This ingredient is unusual but adds a bright, lemony flavour to your vegetarian fast food.
Baking powder: This material is used in small amounts, but the same amount significantly affects the puffiness of your falafel. Some recommend baking soda, but it is a poor choice.
Flour: two to three spoons of this powdery material are used to stick the food ingredients together. You can substitute chickpea flour if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Frying or olive oil: To make this by frying in a pan, it is better to use oils that have a high hot point and do not burn at high temperatures. It is better to use extra virgin olive oil for dietary falafel in the oven.
1. The night before, pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and pour water on them. The water should be enough to cover them up to 10 cm because the peas will triple in size by morning.
2. Discard the water in the bowl and drain the peas. Then, pour the peas into a food processor with onion, parsley, coriander, pepper, garlic, cumin, salt, and black and red pepper.
3. Pulse them several times in a food processor until they have a sand-like texture. It should not be like a dough.
4. Pour the felafel mixture into the bowl and add flour and baking powder. Mix the ingredients until they are well mixed, then put the lid on the container and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Now, take the ingredients from the fridge and use an ice cream scoop to shape the felafels. Using a scoop will make round falafels for frying in oil.
This special food mold will give you flat felafels; you can fry them with less oil. If your mixture is too loose, add another spoonful of flour; if it is too dry, add two teaspoons of water or lemon juice.
6. Once this food is formed, you can make them as above. To fry in a lot of oil, pour oil into a frying pan with a height of 7 to 8 cm and let it heat up on medium gas heat. When the oil is hot, fry about 6-8 falafels for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy.
7. Using a slotted turner, remove the felafels from the oil and check whether they are sufficiently fried. This will prevent them from frying too much. Place the fried felafels on a plate lined with a paper towel.
8. Serve this food immediately while still toasted and hot. Serving it with spicy sauce will be very delicious, but you can also serve it with the options mentioned in the initial description section.
1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and cover the bottom of a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. To make this food this way, you need to use two spoons and your hands to shape them. Cut them into 12 to 15 flat circles. Make sure they are thick enough. If you see they are thick, grind them more in the food processor.
3. Put these felafels in the oven tray. Spray a little olive oil on them. Please put them in the oven and stay there for 14 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, turn this over, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
4. put the pita bread in the foil for the last few minutes and heat it in the oven.
Cumin is a spice that comes from the Cuminum cyminum plant. It is native to Asia, Africa, and Europe. However, people all around the world use it to flavor meals.
People usually buy cumin in the form of whole dried seeds or as ground powder. It is a typical ingredient in many spice blends, such as curry powder. Cumin is a staple spice in many food cultures, particularly Mexican, Indian, African, and Asian cuisine.
Aside from this, cumin has also played a medicinal role in many parts of the world, including Southeast Asia and Iran, for some years.
1. Weight loss
Cumin may be helpful for people trying to their manage body weight. A 2015 study involving adults with overweight compared the weight loss effects of cumin with those of a weight loss medication and a placebo.
After 8 weeks, the researchers found that both the cumin and the weight loss medication groups lost significant amounts of weight. People in the cumin group also experienced a decrease in insulin levels.
Another study from 2014Trusted Source found that women with overweight and obesity who consumed 3 grams (g) of cumin powder in yogurt every day for 3 months had significant decreases in body weight, waist size, and body fat.
2. Cholesterol
The aforementioned studyTrusted Source involving women with overweight and obesity also found that consuming 3 g of cumin powder per day resulted in lower levels of total cholesterol, lower low-density lipoprotein, or “bad,” cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Those who consumed the cumin powder also had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein, or “good,” cholesterol.
Falafel, also sometimes spelt felafel, is a popular street food. These small deep-fried patties are found in Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Israel, the latter of which has falafel as its national dish.
8 Important points in cooking delicious dietary felafel:
1. The outer appearance of the felafel should be golden, not too roasted and burnt like a kutlet.
2. Do not heat the oil too much. If this is the case, the outside of the felafel will burn quickly, and the inside will be dough.
3. Falafel should stay intact during cooking. They are crunchy and fragile but should retain cohesion and shape; if not, refer to the tips about adding more water or flour.
4. Can falafel be made semi-ready? You can make a dough mixture and put it in the freezer for 2-3 months. Of course, I also like another way: You can shape them and put them in a dish, then put a layer of cooking paper on top, and then put the next layer of falafel.
Then, cover it and store it in the freezer. Melt the prepared ingredients in the refrigerator, then shape and fry. Baked felafel should not be stored outside the refrigerator because it will become soft.
5. Remember that the volume of peas will triple. One cup of chickpeas is equal to 3 cups of soaked chickpeas.
6. Do not use cooked chickpeas because they will take shape and fall apart during cooking.
7. Avoid using eggs to bind ingredients because it changes the taste.
8. There is a type of spice called felafel spice, which is the main reason for the special taste of southern felafel.
FAQ
1. Can falafel be air fried?
Yes, you can make this in the air fryer.
2. What is real falafel made of?
Falafel is made with chickpeas, Onion, coarsely chopped without stems, Parsley, 1 cup coarsely chopped without stems, Garlic, Cumin, Salt, Black pepper, Flour Baking powder, Red pepper, and Frying oil.
3.Is falafel halal or haram?
This street food is a halal dish.
4. What are the famous falafel in Iran?
Falafel Marvi, Felafel Maman joon, Felafel Doloppi, Falafel Shoeleh and Felafel Abadan are the famouse felafel in Iran.
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I am Chef Haghighi with ten years of cooking experience and setting up many restaurants and fast food in Iran and Turkey. I am interested in writing recipes on my website. I have the TCA international culinary qualification.I have the experience of successfully launching more than 20 restaurants and fast food in USA and Turkey. I have opened all kinds of traditional restaurants and fast food in Iranian and Turkish style.
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