sanchoxavier

I'm getting one soon!!! The blender sucks, I know!! Remember, I'm just starting ( I'm just a baby in this business ) As soon as my father comes to PR and sees me working he's going to put me into place!!! jaja. He's my idole in cooking (both my mom and dad are chefs and are just artists). Cooking is an art more complex than others. It includes all the senses!!And it is a way of giving love and happiness to people!! Hasta pronto, Xavier.

Hello everybody!!! How are you all?? I made the falafel with bulgar wheat in it last night (with chick peas and all the spices) and it was great! One problem, I soaked the CP in water a couple days but when I put them in the blender(don't have a food procesor for now) the mix wasn't gight. Chick peas that are only soaked and not cooked are hard and don't make a proper mix. I ddin't even try frying it, it was obviosly going to fall apart. Is the food procesor going to make the diference??? a turkish frien said to me that the chickpeas HAD to be boiled at some point, seems logical to me. Hope to hear your opininons, Xavier PD This really cool guy in this group is sending me(gift) a falafel scoop from Israel. There is some great people in this world!!

Hello everybody, it's great to recive so much help!!! I really apreciate it. Let me see if I can answer the questions or doubts. About the scoop, no, I don't have one. I have heard there are differnt styles. Something like ones that scoop more than one falafel at a time, is that correct? I guess there are also ball shape and the other style. Thank you very much for contacting a falafel street cart vendor!!! I'm going to write him right after this. About the cabage as a fixin, is it cooked??? Also, I have read about soaking dried chick peas. I have done it, over night and for even more than one night. The first time I had to thro them away becouse I left them to much time and not in the refrigirator. My main question here is, after soaking them, they seem raw still. Is that how I'm soposed to make the mix or do I have to boil them so they're really cooked??? I tried one and it seemed raw. Thankyou again!!! Hasta pronto!!! Xavier.

Good morning everyone, I'm still looking for some help on running a small falafel business. My doubts are about making the falafel ( how much time can I keep the mix, what temperature does it have to be at) and how is a street cart that sells falafel normaly like. To make it clear, I'm selling in a street cart so it would be great for anyone who has ever eaten at one (in NY I have heard there are many, and in Israel) if they could tell me what they are like. If anyone has ever worked/owned one, even better! Also, I want to sell hummus, babaganush(is babaganush stuffed inside the falafel sandiwhes sometimes?) and some info on temperature in kepping well and serving as well as time conserving it would be great. Hope to hear from you all!!!!! Xavier PD Any recomendations on price would be great. Also, what oils you would recomend. For now I would like to offer lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, maybe eggplant(cooked), cucumber and olives,and sell as extras hummus and tabule that can be stuffed inside. Recomendations would be great to hear!!! Tahini, garlic and hot sauce would also be offered.

Hello, what is thick pita? I imagine the thick pita is the one that doesn't have a pocket and is spongy or is there 'thick' pocket pita bread??? Thanks, Xavier PD If anyone can help with falafel cart (street cart) info It would be great!!

Good morning! Thank you all for your help. I have made falafel at home a couple more times and I'm getting better at it. Made some nice tahini sauce too. I need help with one thing, does anybody here now how the falafel carts are? I've never seen one. I ate at little corner busineses, never carts. I tried to look for fotos or info in the net but can't find any. I have to get a custom made ine here in Puerto Rico and would be good to know about the ones people use in Israel, NY, ... Also, temperatures to keep Babaganush, Humus and Falafel mix in the cart, for example. Tabule is supposed to be served chilled right? Humus I imagine is tastier kind of warm. Thanks, Xavier.

Also, can I make the falafel mix and save it? For how long? How about hummus? Babaganush? Tabule? How about freezing?? What prices do you think are good? 4 $ aprox I have read about falafel in pita. Guess the filings make a difference in price.

Sorry, it wasn't broccoli, it was coliflower!!!

Good morning team falafel!!jeje. This is great. This internet stuff makes life easier, so much information.... So far I have tried about 2 recepies only. The first recepie I tried about 2/3 times and just crumbled no matter how much oil/temeperature... The last time I made falafel It was great, they fried perfectly but they were so so. I'm not a total falafel expert but I ate many in 4/5 different places in Barcelona and loved them. I always bought them from this one falafel place that were excelent and had a self service bar and I would just stuff the pita bread to the top...the veggies would fall out!! And tahini sauce in the midlle and on top...yum. There is one major misunderstanding though I think. I'm not opening a restaurant, I'm opening a street cart. It is very interesting for me becouse my rent will be.....300$ a year, plus low cost mantence, staff (me and one more) and inicial cost(I have to buy the cart and food , a bit of publicity and maybe a van/pickup). I do want to make a cool cart and image of my business(name, logo, uniform while worling so it doesn't look like the common cart. Nothing against the common cart, street look, just looking for my own image. Also, I would really loke to sell something GOOD. So when somebody eats my products, they enjoy. I have grown up in the restaurant business. I really look up to my father/mother. They are chefs and that is an amazing art. They are around 60 now and my father started when he was 14 and he has worked in Canada(Vancouver mostly), ST. Tomas US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Spain(Catalunya). Anyways, I study, play soccer, go to castings ...and want to work for myself. Also have low budjet to start(very low). I now how much time/cost involved in food business like restaurant.....so I think a street cart is great for me, atleast to strart, who nows in the next years what will come. Sorry I go on with all this info but anyways, I want to sell falafel, fruit salad(with homemade yogurt, honey, cereal on top, I eat it at a vegetarian cart in my university and it sells a lot!) and maybe hummus, babaganush and tabule for putting in the falafel or as side orders. I have to see how I manage to fit this stuff in my cart, number one and how I will make this stuff at home. It has to be time/cost profitable right? This is going to be my first time I start a business. I'm very excited but I also now that $ is a factor, time, ..... For example, the place I ate falafel in Barcelona ONLY sold falafel and normal stuffings. No Hummus, Babaganush, no Tabule. No dessert. Only falafel, a nice self service bar with chick peas, tomato, onions, broccoli(nobody seems to put it but it in other places but it was cooked a bit and tasted really nice in falafel) lettuce, olives, jalapenos and tahini and one other sauce, that's it. I'll have to see the costs of making tabulle, hummus is ok I think and babaganush(price of eagplants in Puerto Rico basically). Another problem is getting good quality pita bread. I read this relly good article about falafel in the net and it talked about the good quality pita being the thick one. Can anyboby help me with some info. Also it can't break easily, of course. If anyone here has experince with street carts, please give me some info!!!! Thankyou everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's great to be in Egullet!!!

Good morning!! Does anybody here have any information regarding my last posted message?? Thank you, Xavier.

Hello everyone! This is great, I'm surprised how many people come in hear! My father would love this site, he is an amazing chef. I can't ask him about falafel though (I will try, he'll experiment I'm sure). Last night I finallyu made falafel that didn't crumble. it tasted ok but not like the one I use to eat all the time in this falafel place close to las ramblas, barcelona. Does anybody here now this place? (they only sell falafel and they have a self service bar for the extras and sauces). that has been my favorite so far. My falafel felt softer. It seemed like it was fried on the outside and warm inside but the consistency was very much like the raw falafel mix. About the fact of the crumbling apart, I understand that the flavour is important and the freshnes of the ingridients but the problem I had with the crumbleing was not a small thing. It was imposible to serve them becouse they would just turn into this mess of oil and tiny bits of fried mix (not even a crumbled falafel, uneatable). It seams that the potato and bread healped but want to make many different recepies and finally sell the best. About the meat offers, the ideas are great but I'm a semi vegetarian 9I do eat fish) and I really don't want to sell meat. my worry is how dificult will it be for me to get a good clientel only selling falafel and this really good fruit salad (watermelon, cantelope, papaya, mango, banana, homemaid natural yogurt, muesli and honey) in puerto rico (old san juan or hato rey(bank and office area). in barcelona I ate all the time in a place that only sold falafel and drinks and it was doing really good, but barcelona is very cosmopolitan and much larger. Thankyou for your help so far!!!!! hope to hear more from you!!

How about the falafel recepies that don't have bread, nor potato nor bulgar wheat? Can anybody tell me if they had problems frying them(they fell apart)? If you can help me with the other questions I would really apreciate it! I'm very eager to start my business and I love falafel (tastes great and is healthy) but I'm worried about the cultural factor. Any latinamericans here who can give their opinion? In Puerto Rico people eat chicken and beef and rice and beans. If they don't have meat in their meall they feel like they're not eating a full meal (this is generalizing, of course). I'm a semi vegitarian and don't eat meat and don't miss it at all. Hope to hear from you!!!! Xavier Sancho

Hello everybody, I'm new hear and looking for some help. My problem is that I want to open a small falafel business in Puerto Rico and I'm try to make them at home but so far I've had problems. I got aprox. 20 recipies from internet and books and they all change a little. I'm sure that is just a matter of taste but my problem is that when I fry them, they crumble apart and it is frustraiting! I talked to a friend yesterday, he is Lebaneese. He told me that I can't use canned chickpeas and faba beans becouse they are to soft. I have to buy drie beans and soak them in water and they will have more consistency. Also, I have to put bread crums and potato (that is what his mother does). The recepies I have read change a lot and they don't all have potato nor bread. I fried them in olive oil and corn oil and It was hot enough, I'm sure. Could you pleas help me??? Also, Is there anyone here that has opened a falafel business somewere were people aren't familiar with it/ how was your experince? Finally, if anybody could give me any recomendations in this business I would be very thankful. thankyou very much and hope to here from you!!!! Xavier Sancho