Taameyya: The Original Egyptian Falafel by Noha Serageldin

Prep time 8 hours

Cook time 20 mins

Total time  8 hours 20 mins

the original falafel recipe hailing from Egypt, made with split fava beans and plenty of vibrantly green herbs  . .

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• • 400g dried split & peeled fava (or broad) beans*
• • 2 tsp. baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• • 1 brown onion, OR 1 leek (white part only), OR 1 bunch of green (spring) onions, OR a combination of any of these, roughly chopped**
• • 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• • 1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves picked***
• • 1 bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked***
• • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• • 1.5 tsp. baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• • 1 tsp. ground coriander
• • ½ tsp. ground cumin
• • 2 tsp. fine salt
• • neutral oil, for frying (I use light refined olive oil. See notes)

Instructions

1. SOAK THE BEANS:  . . .with the 2 tsp. baking soda, cover with plenty of water,  . . .soak for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight. Rinse very well, drain and set aside.
2. MAKE THE FALAFEL MIXTURE: In the bowl of a food processor, combine  . . .. Process until everything is quite finely chopped and well mixed,  . .
3. Add the well drained fava beans to the food processor and pulse . . .
4. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for 15-30 minutes,  . . . FORM THE FALAFEL: Wet your hands and scoop out about 2-3 tbsp. of the mixture at a time and form into falafels; you can go the traditional Egyptian shape of burger-like patties, or make them more round or oval if you prefer! Place them onto a tray lined with baking paper or foil as you form them. Sprinkle each patty with about ½ tsp. of sesame seeds and gently pat them on with your finger so that they stick.  . .. To cook, just take them out of the freezer and defrost only slightly, for 30-60min, before frying.
5. FRY THE FALAFEL: Test the oil by dropping in a small bit of the falafel mixture; it is ready when the mixture bubbles up and starts to fry immediately. Once the oil is hot enough, you can begin to fry the falafel. Gently place 5-6 falafel at a time into the oil,  . . .. Fry for a couple of minutes, until very nicely browned, then flip them over and fry a further minute on the other side till browned all over. . .Serve immediately with warm pita bread, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, and tahini sauce or hummus!

Reference

https://www.mattersofthebelly.com/taameyya-the-original-egyptian-falafel/

See also recipe for pumpkin scones and vegetable frittata
https://www.mattersofthebelly.com/taameyya-the-original-egyptian-falafel/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falafel