Rabat – Falafel can be your choice if you want to treat yourself during your cheat meal or can be an exciting new dish when you run out of ideas for what to cook next.
Despite their tiny sizes, falafel are definitely something to die for if you enjoy crunching into strongly- spiced treats, especially garlic lovers.
Falafel are simply fried hummus balls that are common in the Middle East. You can easily find them at restaurants and small food shops known for serving MENA dishes in Morocco.
While their taste may make you feel that they need a long time to be prepared, the procedure is surprisingly easy. Just roll up your sleeves and grab your food processor to make them at home.
Ingredients for magical falafels
½ kilograms of dried chickpeas that have been soaked in water for 24 hours. Do not use canned chickpeas. They are too moist and definitely will not work.
Chopped fresh parsley
1 medium onion
5 garlic cloves
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of cumin
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 small bag of baking powder
Process
After drying your soaked hummus, put them in a food processor with your spice mixture, along with the fresh parsley, garlic, onion, and spices.
Process until finely mixed together. The texture should be like a paste.
Add your baking powder and mix them well with your hands or with a fork.
Put your paste into a bowl and rest for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Frying
Put your frying pan on medium heat. Add enough oil to cover the ball-shaped falafels in the pan.
Once warm enough, put your falafel one by one into the pan. Watch closely because they cook quickly.
When it has a nice, not-too-dark brown color, remove your falafel, being careful not to touch the burning oil.
Carefully put the falafel on your serving plate and voila!
You can either enjoy falafels as finger foods or tuck them into an aish baladi (flat bread), which is available in Morocco’s market.
To add more flavor, you can prepare a garlic sauce with plain, sugar-free yogurt.
To prepare the sauce, simply stir together some fresh garlic paste, a pinch of salt, a few drops of lemon, a pinch of black pepper, and two small yogurts.
You can dip falafels into the sauce or add them to your sandwiches. You can also add some tomatoes and onion to your sandwich, and I personally add hot sauce for more taste.
If the garlic sauce isn’t your thing, you can just use mayonnaise, but I cannot guarantee the same authentic taste.
Enjoy your falafel!
