falafels

These babies, they're far-from-afel!

Many years ago, I tasted a falafel pita sandwich and I was instantly hooked.

The texture and taste of this vegetarian dish is very unique. I remember googling falafels to learn more about them and how to make them. However, I was a bit disappointed because to make them from scratch seemed a lot of effort. Ground fava beans or chickpeas? How the heck was I going to do THAT? So I continued to order them when I happen to see them on the town.

Walking down the ethnic aisle of my supermarket some years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see a box of falafels that you can make at home. It was a mixture of ground fava beans and chick peas(and some other wholesome ingredients and spices) that you add water to and pan fry at home. I couldn't wait to try it out!

I make my falafels into patty shaped versus round balls and I also dip it into cornmeal before I put them into a frying pan. I find that they are very sticky so the cornmeal tends to make it easier to prepare as does making them patty shaped. The cornmeal also gives them a nice crunch.

I have tried baking falafels to make them less fatty however I did not like them that way. They were too dry in comparison to the moist fried ones. I will try to bake them again (must experiment with oven times and temperatures) but I still believe the pan fried ones will win.

Next time you hit the supermarket, try something new. I'm sure glad I did.