Chef John's Falafel
Unlike most of America's other favorite fast foods, falafel is rarely attempted at home, which is a shame, since it's very simple to do, and even a relative novice like me can get some very decent results. One word of warning: you do need to know you're going to have a craving for this a full day before you actually want to eat it.
Ingredients
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1 cup dry garbanzo beans
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½ yellow onion, diced
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½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
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4 cloves minced garlic
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1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or more as needed
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2 teaspoons lemon juice
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1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
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1 teaspoon ground cumin
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½ teaspoon ground coriander
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¼ teaspoon baking soda
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⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
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oil for frying
Instructions
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Place garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 12 to 24 hours. Drain.
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Blend garbanzo beans, onion, parsley, garlic, flour, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander, baking soda, and cayenne pepper together in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until mixture is finely ground and holds together when pressed. Transfer garbanzo mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors blend, 1 to 2 hours.
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Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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Divide dough into 12 portions and roll each with moistened hands into a ball.
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Working in batches, cook falafel balls in hot oil until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.
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