Falafel III

By Maverick19

This recipe is from the Lebanese cookbook, Alice's Kitchen
You can substitute the fava beans with garbanzo beans, but its better with the fava beans

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry fava beans, soaked 24 hours
• 1 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked 24 hours
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced or mashed into a puree
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup parsley, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 or 2 Tbsp flour (if needed)
• vegetable oil, for frying
• fresh chopped mint, parley, tomatoes, green onions, or onions with sumac, for garnish
• sesame seeds, optional

Preparation

Step 1

1. Rinse the beans and soak them in 1 quart of water for 24 hours. Canned beans may be substituted for dry beans. Drain soaked beans and rinse. Grind the beans in a food processor or put them through a food grinder twice.
2. Add onion, garlic and spices, baking soda, minced parsley and cilantro, mixing well
3. Form a spoonful of the mixture into a ball. If the consistency is correct and the ball holds together, proceed. If not, mix in water or flour, so that you can form a ball or patty in the palm of your hands.
4. If using sesame seeds, roll falafel ball in the seeds. Carefully drop the falafel into the heated oil.
5. To Fry: Heat the oil about 2 inches deep, in a wok or skillet, to 450-475 degrees F. Fry falafel in the oil until golden brown on both sides. Remove with slotted spoon and drain. It is possible to fry them in a small amount of oil instead of deep frying.
6. To BAKE or BROIL: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F to bake or 475 degrees to broil. Place falafel on baking parchment or an oiled baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes on each side. Broil for 5-10 minutes on each side, checking frequently so as not to burn.