Egyptian Falafel
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!