Falafel, tricks in making

[syk]

Hi,

This is a very interesting forum: cooking falafel has been many times frustating for me (and I guess that for more people). Though, I have been able to cook falafel this morning. The result was not bad, but not incredibly tasty either, as the falafel was crusty on the outside but just like the unfried mixture on the inside (is this ok, for traditional recipes?).

My cooking procedure was: First, I soaked the chick-peas overnight and boiled them until soft. Afterwards, I mashed the chick-peas and added one egg, onion, parsil, paprika, garlic and salt.

The first batch looked nice before deep-frying, but fell apart using very hot olive oil. So I added one more egg to the mixture, but unluckily the falafell came apart once again. I didn't give up, and I added some flour (only a couple of tablespoons) and lowered the flame when putting the falafel into the skillet. This time everything went fine.

This seems to be a good trick: the oil must be very hot to curdle the egg that ties together the mixture, but I guess the fire cannot be too high or the bubbles will destroy your patties.

Also, as you add more egg the mixture becomes more difficult to handle, and some flour is useful.

I do not know if this procedure was "orthodox" or not. My questions are:

- Are the chick-peas boiled in traditional recipes? I have seen recipes in which they are just soaked overnight: this way, they should be raw when deep-fried. On the other hand, if you do not boil the chick-peas, you could suffer a terrible gas-storm :-)!

- Which are the best spices for getting tastier falafel?

- When the amount of chick-peas is specified in a recipe: does it usually refer to the dry or to the soaked amound?

Thanks (sorry for my english).

[sanchoxavier]

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!!

[sanchoxavier]

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.

[Foam Pants]

Maybe you could scoop out pre-measured portions of hummus and babaganoush into small plastic cups, keep them in a refridgerator on your cart, and sell them as extras.

[Rachel Perlow]

Like these? They look like the kind delis put cole slaw in. The 2 oz size seems right to me, be sure to order the correct sized lid as well. Hmm, is it just a coincidence that the cups sell in packages of 250, while the lids (medium lid for 2 oz cup) sell in packages of 100? Well, at least they're cheap. An order of 2 packages of cups and 5 packages of lids (500 sets) would only be $19.15 + shipping.

While you're at it, you should probably get an appropriately sized disher from them to make filling those cups easier. I think the 1 5/8 ounce disher would be the right size to quickly fill the 2 oz cups.

[Foam Pants]

That's exactly what I was thinking of, those cheap plastic cups. Not glamorous but convenient.

I did a bit of research into falafel. I found a recipe based on fava beans that had some advice on keeping it from falling apart. The recipe is from Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food. She says "The secret to keeping the falafel from falling apart in the frying oil is towel-dry the soaked and drained beans so that the paste is not watery, and to blend them long in the food processor."

This seems to go against the advice most people have about chickpea based falafel which normally says to process the chickpeas until they are coarsely ground. Maybe the treatment of fava beans and chickpeas are different enough that you should stick to a fava bean recipe or a chickpea recipe.

For chickpea-based recipes, many had the addition of breadcrumbs or bread - something I didn't expect. I am thinking that your recipe might be falling apart from being too watery. Am I right? MAYBE, if the fava bean paste is thick enough, you could use it to bind together coarsely ground chickpeas in sort of a rebar/concrete scenario. While each on their own isn't structurally sound, maybe together they can reinforce each other! You should post the recipe you favor and some folk might try it out for you.

[Rachel Perlow]

I emailed some hot dog cart sellers and a falafel vendor with a website to see if they have anything to add to this thread. Hopefully, Xaviar'll get some advice from professional street cart peddlers soon.

[FoodMan]

Xavier-

I do not believe you answered this question that was posted earlier, Do you have a Falafel scoop?? The one where you pack the Falafel mixture in and push into the oil. this will make them nice, packed and uniform.

I will probably incorporate Falafel (testing now) making in my class about Lebanese Cuisine that I will present as part of the eGCI on Sept 26. Hopefully that might help also.

FM

Edited August 12, 2003 by FoodMan (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

Well, I got one response so far, from a guy who runs a falafel stand, but he didn't want to "join (my) website." Whatever.

His recipe looked pretty good though: Falafel Nation.com

[boaziko]

Hi Xavier,

Following is a recipe (copied from the Middle East section, written by GC++) I tried it successfully many times (and so did others) I once did it in the USA on a short notice, without the dried CP and it was spread all over the oil...

The important thing is to keep it "dry" and not to boil the CP after the soaking and drying.

"My recipe of Falafel is from the time I worked at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

The Egyptian chef in charge of all Oriental cuisine (apart from the Chinese off course) gave it to me.

I found it very good:

½ Kilo (1 pound) Dried Chickpeas

1 White Onion

½ Kilo (1 pound) Leeks

Half of the volume of the leeks – cilantro or coriander leaves

6 Tbsp Coriander seeds (Don’t mix them with white pepper corns)

2 Tbsp Ground Cumin

Sesames seeds

Salt

1) Soak the chickpeas for two nights in water, changing the water twice a day.

2) Chop the onion, leeks and coriander leaves.

3) Grind all ingredients; if too dry add some water.

4) Heat the oil up to 180C (= 356F)

5) Before frying roll the Falafel balls in sesames seeds"

If you need a "falafel scoop" tool I have no problem in getting one for you , here in Israel and send you ASAP.(PM me your details)

The list of salads you mention makes sense. The most common (in Israel) are cabbage (a little like sour krout) and fresh salad made of cucumber and tomato, along with leaves of parsley, Tahini, and some hot red Jalapeno sauce.

Lots of success,

Boaziko

[sanchoxavier]

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.

[Rachel Perlow]

There's actually another thread all about making felafel elsewhere on eGullet: Falafel, How do you make yours?

(this is good research for when people tell you you are spelling or pronouncing "felafel" wrong!)

Xaviar, have you read through that one yet?

[Cliff]

VE Services offers towable carts for cooking/selling hot dogs and other foods.

The carts have burners for boiling, steaming, or grilling food, plus a steam table for keeping food hot after cooking.

The stand-in carts also have a Fryolator for deep frying food. Please see our web site http://www.thehotdogcart.com

Regards,

Cliff Worth

888.852.9838

[FoodMan]

Well last night I made my Falafel recipe that I will domonstrate in the eGCI class and it came out perfect.

I prefer to reserve the recipe for the day of the class but Xavier, if you want it then please PM me and I will gladly send it to you.

I made it with a mixture of dried Fava and Chickpeas that were soaked for about 20 hrs.

No cooking or boiling the beans is necessary (except for frying the Falafel of course). I also did not use any eggs, bread , flour or any other binding agent and the patties came out perfect with no crumbling or falling apart.

even though I did use a scoop I also tried making a few with my hands and they also held their shape although they did not look as perfect

Xavier the scoop I'm talking about comes in one shape : It makes Falafel patties or thick disks. It usually comes with a small "spatula" or flat spoon which you use to put the mixture in the scoop. If you have a middle eastern store that you know of ask them and they will probably have it, that's where I got mine.

FM

[Rachel Perlow]

See what this post inspired: Teaneck Falafel Tasting in NJ Forum.

[sanchoxavier]

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!!

[Rachel Perlow]

Man, get yourself a food processor. No way you can grind beans in a blender. At minimum, get a hand cranked meat grinder. I'm sure you can get one of those pretty cheaply in PR. A lot of the recipes I read called for a meat grinder anyway.

[boaziko]

Rachel is right, meat grinder (or food proccesor) will do the trick, no need for boiling.

The outcome, (pre-deep fried mixture) may be kept in the freezer.

Boaziko.

[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.

[Magus]

Hi Xavier,

Following is a recipe (copied from the Middle East section, written by GC++) I tried it successfully many times (and so did others) I once did it in the USA on a short notice, without the dried CP and it was spread all over the oil...

The important thing is to keep it "dry" and not to boil the CP after the soaking and drying.

"My recipe of Falafel is from the time I worked at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

The Egyptian chef in charge of all Oriental cuisine (apart from the Chinese off course) gave it to me.

If you need a "falafel scoop" tool I have no problem in getting one for you , here in Israel and send you ASAP.(PM  me your details)

The list of salads you mention makes sense. The most common (in Israel) are cabbage (a little like sour krout) and fresh salad made of cucumber and tomato, along with leaves of parsley, Tahini, and some hot red Jalapeno sauce.

Lots of success,

Boaziko

Hello eGullet

I have a question. I am thinking about opening a falafel cart in Michigan and I was wondering...If I were to charge $4.00 for a Falafel sandwich...how many Falafel balls is the standard per sandwich. I will be using a falafel scoop to keep things looking uniform.

Thank You

[Jason Perlow]

3 or 4 balls, depending on how big they are.

[GoodEater]

I love a good falafel! The only problem with eating them is that many joints and carts put the falafel balls/ patties in the bottom of the pita; then put in all of the vegetables; then finally pour tahini on top of the vegetables. This means that you are eating the items separatly many times. A properly cooked falafel need some of the tahni sauce to add the right amount of moisture back into it.

I would like to give suggestions to all falafel makers out there- (1) please look at making several layers of falafel, veggies and sauce in the one pita bread so that the different ingredients can be enjoyed throughout the sandwich. Often I will reassemble it the sandwich to make the ingredients fit my preferred arrangement. (2) Patties are much easier to eat than balls as they can be arranged better. I also think that patties cook quicker than balls so this tends to give you a crispier/ less oily end product. The patties also tend to not fall apart and push out of the sandwich as you are biting down as is the case with falafel balls.

I am just a home cook and I know that trying to make these sandwiches quickly to handle high volume might make the assemble process I prefer difficult as it would add additonal steps in the process. This is just feedback from a long-time falafel eater.

(My first on was way back in 1974!)

[KLwood]

Im surprised that no one has mentioned the E Gullet Felafel Cook Off Thread definitely a must read ...

[madbuy]

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

←

Hi!

If you are planning to be successful with Falafel in your business then do it the isreali way:

1. Take 1 x 500 bag of dried Chickpeas (Not Canned)

2. Pour warm water with 1 Teaspoon of Bicarb in a bowl to cover them, and consider that the chickpeas will grow so use enough water to ensure that the won’t grow over the water level.

3. After 4-6 hours pour the water out, wash the bicarb away and get the following ingredients ready:

• 1 Big bunch of parsley or even 2 (you can’t take too much)

• a quarter a bunch of fresh Coriander (or more, depending on you)

• 2-3 large onions

• Optional but I love it: 4-5 garlic cloves

4. (hand) mince everything but not to small. Important trick: don’t Mince the ingredients one at a time. Do 1 hand full chickpeas then a few parsley stems in-between, then 1-2 quarter of an onion, then again 1 hand chickpeas, parsley, coriander and so on. That way the chickpeas color very nicely green and the mixing becomes much easier, because the onion juices clean out the chickpea mass. If you don’t have a mincer then use a kitchen mixer, but in that case don’t mix too long so that all the pieces are about the size of lentils or rice

5. Then continue and mix the lot with these ingredients:

• VERY IMPORTANT: 2 (tea)cups corn flour so the falafels don’t fall apart which happens to many that don’t know

• 1 table spoon Cumin

• 1.5 teaspoons turmeric

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1.5 teaspoons fresh ground nutmeg

• 1.5 teaspoons black pepper

• 1 table spoon salt (or more—please check be licking your fingers later while mixing the lot) secret: some people use here 2 table spoons of quality chicken stock for more meat taste but tell anyone ?

6. Heat up the deep fryer or highly with oil filled pan to about 190-200 Degrees (Celsius) or the stove on full heat

7. And your ready to go!

8. Have a little bowl of water next to the falafel mix so that when the falafel scoop get to dirty that you can wash it in-between—but not to often! And use a table spoon to fill the scoop tightly and to get a rounded top.

9. Please be careful when flicking the balls into the hot oil, but be fast as well so that as many falafels as possible can fry simultaneously and save you a lot of time.

I hope that my description is understandable and can help you get the best falafels in town!

Please don’t rely to much on the spices amounts I wrote (spoons etc.) and count on your own measurements and taste before adding more by licking your fingers from the falafel juices in the mix Ah one more Tip: keep mixing the water that came from the onions and all back in the mix when it stood a for while and do not pour it away.

Contact me if you also need some tips in making the best home made Pitas, Tahini, Hummus and pickles to have THE Perfect Falafel Pita Pocket.