Egyptian Falafel Recipe - An Authentic Delicious Savory Treat (2024)

FAQs

What is Egyptian falafel made of? ›

Ta'ameya (Egyptian falafel) is an all-time favorite street food in Egypt. In most parts of the Middle East, falafel is made with ground chickpeas. In Egypt however, we make it with dried fava beans. These are best served with pita bread, tomato, onions, and tahini sauce.

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine, or either just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Binding Agents To Stop Falafel Falling Apart

My family's Lebanese falafel recipe uses one small amount of boiled potato and it works perfectly every time. You can see the boiled potato in the below image. You could also try chickpea flour to achieve better adhesion of the batter sticking together.

Eating uncooked falafel that has been left out for a few hours can pose a risk of foodborne illness due to bacteria growth. Bacteria can multiply rapidly in foods left at room temperature, potentially causing digestive issues or food poisoning.

Researchers have found that falafel has many health benefits. It is high in fibre as it contains vegetables, legumes (beans, chickpeas, or almonds), and olive oil, all of which can help people stay healthy and maintain an optimal weight while reducing their risk of diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

If you can't find the pale, peeled fava beans, use all chickpeas instead of a combination of chickpea and fava beans.

Green lentils may be the best replacement for chickpeas in falafel as they maintain a great firm texture. Mung beans, quinoa, and almond flour also have textures that can lend well to the soft-but-not-soggy texture of the inside of falafel.

There are three types of falafel--Traditional falafel, baked falafel and lemon falafel. “Where the traditional falafel is the basic fried falafel comprising a mix of chickpeas, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, baked falafels are made using fresh herbs in the chickpea mixture,” says Chef Sati from Ophelia.

What are 3 local foods in Egypt? ›

Egyptian cuisine makes heavy use of poultry, legumes, vegetables and fruit from Egypt's rich Nile Valley and Delta. Examples of Egyptian dishes include rice-stuffed vegetables and grape leaves, hummus, falafel, shawarma, kebab and kofta.

Despite plenty of evidence pointing to falafel originating in Egypt, a number of other countries claim falafel as their own. Israel is perhaps the most steadfast in its claim, even advertising falafel as one of their national dishes and putting it into songs.

Dried chickpeas (that have been soaked in water for 24 hours) are an important ingredient that will give your falafel the right consistency and taste. (Tip: I usually add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water to help soften the dry chickpeas.)

Why are chickpea falafels green? Falafel lovers will tell you that authentic falafels should be crispy (deep-fried) and green on the inside. That green color comes from fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley. These green falafels are green through and through and also include those fragrant fresh herbs.

The chickpeas and fava beans only contribute slightly to the smell and taste of the falafel. The rest comes from the herbs and spices in the mixture. The texture of the falafel is crispy on the outside because it is usually deep-fried and soft on the inside.

Falafel are deep-fried balls or patties made from chickpeas or fava beans, sometimes both, plus fresh herbs and spices. Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern street food sold from vendors or fast-casual spots in countries such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel, where it's the national dish.

Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern “fast food” made of a mixture of chickpeas (or fava beans), fresh herbs, and spices that are formed into a small patties or balls. It's thought that falafel originated in Egypt as Coptic Christians looked for a hearty replacement for meat during long seasons of fasting or lent.

Shawarma is prepared from thin cuts of seasoned and marinated lamb, mutton, veal, beef, chicken, or turkey. The slices are stacked on a skewer about 60 cm (20 in) high. Pieces of fat may be added to the stack to provide extra juiciness and flavour.

Falafel (voiced by Sayed Badreya) is Apple and Onion's Egyptian landlord, who lets them stay in the shack on top of his building. The show's plot often revolves around Falafel's financial issues or him being overworked.