My first introduction to falafel was by means of a little falafel shop called King Tut falafel in Copenhagen, Denmark. King Tut's falafel's went for about 20 Danish kroner (USD $3.25?) which was sort of a dream come true for students on a budget; needless to say I ate a lot of falafels that year.
But when I came back to the U.S. I was in for a surprise. The falafels I got in the U.S. just did not compare. For one thing, their interiors were not green as my beloved King Tut falafels, they were not slathered in tahini sauce, and they are were dry and brown. But why? I couldn't wrap my head around it. It was only years (many!) later that I learned the difference between standard falafels, made with chickpeas, and Egyptian falafels, made with fava beans.
Why chickpea falafels have taken hold of this country, I will never know, because the clearly superior falafel is the Egyptian falafel. These amazing deep fried croquettes are made with a mixture of fava beans and fresh herbs, including cilantro and parsley. Compare this to the super-boring chickpea-falafel and there will be always a clear winner.
1. To prepare Egyptian falafel, shell fresh or frozen fava beans of their pod and exterior skins. In a food processor, puree the fava beans, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp baking powder with scallion greens, parsley, and cilantro.*
2. Form the falafel mixture into a ball, dip in toasted sesame seeds, and flatten. Refrigerate.
3. Fry the falafels in vegetable oil and brown and crispy on both sides.
* I found that by adding a little flour after the mixture has come out of the food processor, the patties will stick together better while being fried. But this isn't traditional.
To really make this dish something special, serve the falafels with a tahini dipping sauce:
1. Add 1/2 cup tahini, 1 cup water water, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2-3 garlic cloves, salt to taste, and 1 tsp cumin to a food processor.
2. Process until the mixture is smooth.
Some Turkish music to play while you enjoy your falafel!
Comments
That certainly is an interesting color
Posted by: Jeff | January 7, 2007 06:22 PM
Awww,I love it!Though I have to say...I like chickpea falafels,too:)
Posted by: KT | January 8, 2007 05:01 AM
This sounds fabulous. The post must have stuck in my head, because when I saw frozen fava beans today, I grabbed them and decided that I'd be making these. One question--those spices are for how much bean?
Posted by: Annie | January 8, 2007 11:21 PM
Jeff: I would definitely eat them in a box with a fox.
KT: Thanks for inspiring me to make these! I had only remembered them from my student days but when I saw you make them, I knew I had to do my duty. :-)
Annie: You're in luck because I also started out with frozen fava beans. So the spices are for one bag of frozen beans. Be sure to shell both layers (pod and skin) -- it takes some time but worth it!
Posted by: Evil Jonny | January 9, 2007 06:04 AM
I amde felafel for my family once. My brother made horrible faces. My father would only eat them on whitebread with Miracle Whip (no goddam arab bread for me!). Sigh.
Posted by: homer | January 10, 2007 11:50 AM
Cool recipe that I'll give a try..Love the turkish song...who is the artist and song title? Thanks
Posted by: Jeanette | January 15, 2007 05:53 PM
Homer: I think we grew up in similar types of families!
Jeanette: the artist is Tarkan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarkan) and the song is "Şımarık." Let me know how your falafels turn out.
Posted by: Evil Jonny | January 15, 2007 07:40 PM
Those look great- There's also an Indian "Falafel" sauce(really spicy)that is available at any Indian grocery store...I add a bit of yogurt to the Tahini for a nice change and to tone down the heat of the Chutney...
Cheers,Trupti
Posted by: Trupti | January 18, 2007 07:06 AM
Hi,
Growing up in the Gulf, I often miss Falafels dunked in moutabel (baba ghanouj) but like you, have been so disillusioned with local stuff that I don't even bother buying them anywhere in the US. But your picture definitely looks like the real deal...I HAVE to try this. Love the music pairing too, Tarkan's Simarik is amongst my all time faves! Count on my becoming a regular reader!
-Veena
Posted by: Veena | February 14, 2007 11:31 AM
how many pounds of fava beans are for the recipe..
..I just got back from Egypt and in the city of Luxor. there is a a little falafel shop called the falafel king and he made the best falafels. check him out if you are there. there were 3 Egyptian pounds.....very cheap and amazing
Posted by: kody | November 27, 2007 09:45 PM