Admit it: when someone tastes one of your dishes and tells you that you should open a restaurant, it always warms your heart! With this falafel recipe, prepare to hear that compliment for a long time to come.

Crispy on the outside, tender and flavorful on the inside, these falafels contain a secret spice that gives them a delicious taste. To easily form the balls, there's no need for the traditional utensil: a small ice cream scoop will do the trick perfectly.

Quantity : about 50 to 60 small falafels or 30 to 40 medium falafels.

Ingredients

• ½ kg dried chickpeas
• 1.5 liters of water, or 6 cups, for soaking
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda for soaking
• 1 bunch of coriander
• 1 large chopped onion
• 5 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of Marak Off soup powder
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• ¼ cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

Preparation

1. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl. Add 1.5 liters of water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Cover the bowl and let it soak for at least 12 hours.
2. Drain the chickpeas, then rinse them lightly.
3. Place them in a food processor. Add the coriander, garlic, onion, cumin, Marak Off soup powder, salt, black pepper and half the amount of water.
4. Blend until you obtain a moist and grainy mixture that is neither too fine nor too coarse.
5. Stop the robot regularly to scrape down the sides of the bowl to the center. This will ensure a perfectly uniform mixture.
6. Take a small amount of the mixture and try to form a ball. If it breaks, gradually add a little water and mix again.
7. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. At this stage, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to one day or in the freezer for up to one month, in an airtight bag or a tightly sealed container.
8. Just before baking, add the baking powder and baking soda, then mix thoroughly.
9. Pour oil into a non-stick pan, filling it to a little more than half its depth. Heat it to 170 °C It should be neither too hot nor too cold.
10. Form the falafels using a small ice cream scoop about 3.5 cm in diameter.
11. Gently lower them into the oil. Fry them for about 1 minute 30 seconds on each side, until they are evenly golden brown.
12. Do not place too many falafels in the pan at the same time, to prevent them from absorbing too much oil.
13. Drain them on a tray lined with absorbent paper.
14. Serve them immediately in a warm pita, accompanied by a white cabbage salad, fried eggplant and liquid tahini.

Variants

• For spicy falafels, add 1 green chili to the food processor.
• For greener falafels, add an extra bunch of coriander or parsley.
• For yellower falafels, add ½ teaspoon of turmeric and ½ tablespoon of Marak Off soup powder.