Moroccan Falafel Recipe

This Moroccan-inspired falafel recipe delivers a delicately crispy falafel on the outside with a soft buttery interior. Herbed and spiced to perfection, they are super easy to make. Eat them on their own, or in a falafel salad or as a snack.

I have finally found a way to feed my children chickpeas. It did require a bit of creativity on my part but.. all’s well that ends well right? It started with getting creative with how I made ’em chickpeas. I knew boiled chickpeas wouldn’t cut it. And since my fussy two are going through an exceptionally fussy phase at the moment, I knew that not even my to-die-for silky smooth hummus would be good enough. And, I craved falafel. I craved a tribute to street food – Moroccan style. Falafel, it would have to be.

I also had to get creative with its name, when responding to the famous “what’s for dinner?” question (which has often been the source of many a pre-dinner hissy fit). “Mama’s African Croquettes” I said to my fussy two, and watched their eyes widen in anticipation. I could almost hear them salivating. Bingo!

The perfect falafel has to achieve two things, in my book. It’s got to be delicately crispy on the outside and lightly moist on the inside, appearing almost crumb-like. And It’s got to have a heady aroma – the sort that commands drool-worthy respect. The result of the many herbs and spices used. The sweet coolness of mint, balanced by the earthy smokiness of cumin. Tangy from the cilantro and tastefully nutty, from the coriander seeds. In summary, the perfect falafel has got to be a green-speckled, herbed-and-spiced golden ball of crispy-on-the-outside, yet crumbly-on-the-inside deliciousness.

This moroccan falafel is exactly that. And it is super easy to make. And it goes something like this:

Soak your chickpeas – this is the secret to achieving falafel that does not require flour or baking soda as a binding agent. Using flour and/or baking soda makes your falafel pasty and doughy, which is exactly what you don’t want. You want falafel that is light and fluffy.

Blend all your ingredients

Shape into balls – the secret to that crisp exterior and buttery interior is the size of the balls. You want a circumference that is small enough to get crisp real quick when dropped in piping hot oil, while the interior achieves the desired amount of done-ness at the same time. Aim for balls that are about 1-inch in diameter and you are almost there.

Then bake or deep fry.

I wanted the classic falafel, reminiscent of those from the street food vendors in Africa, so I deep-fried them. As a treat! For a more-everyday recipe, just brush some olive oil on the falafel balls and bake at 180 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.

Say hello to crispy golden moroccan-inspired falafel…everytime!

Moroccan Falafel Recipe

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Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchDinner This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan

This Moroccan-inspired falafel recipe delivers a delicately crispy falafel on the outside with a soft buttery interior. Herbed and spiced to perfection, they are super easy to make. Eat them on their own, or in a falafel salad or as a snack.

Servings	Prep Time
26 balls	10 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
4 minutes	30 minutes

Servings Prep Time 26 balls 10 minutes

Cook Time Passive Time 4 minutes 30 minutes

Moroccan Falafel Recipe Print Recipe Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchDinner This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan This Moroccan-inspired falafel recipe delivers a delicately crispy falafel on the outside with a soft buttery interior. Herbed and spiced to perfection, they are super easy to make. Eat them on their own, or in a falafel salad or as a snack. Servings Prep Time 26 balls 10 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 4 minutes 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 26 balls 10 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 4 minutes 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 150 g chickpeas
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic
• 5 g cilantro
• 5 g parsley
• 3 g mint leaves
• 5 g dukkah spice
• 5 g ground cumin
• 5 g ground coriander seeds
• salt
• black pepper
• 400 ml sunflower oil enough to cover the chickpea balls

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

1. Rinse chickpeas then place them in a large bowl. Add some cold water to the bowl till the chickpeas are more than completely covered. Leave to stand at room temperature overnight. On the next day, rinse and drain the chickpeas, then set aside.
2. Combine chickpeas, herbs (cilantro, mint and parsley), onions, garlic, spices (coriander seeds, dukkah spice and cumin), some salt and black pepper. Transfer to a food processor, and pulse till everything is finely minced. Be sure to scrap the sides and pulse till all minced, and you are able to squeeze the mixture into a ball that just barely holds together.
3. Transfer the minced mixture to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then using your fingers, shape the chickpea mixture into small balls of about 1-inch in diameter. The mixture should shape roughly into balls that just barely hold together.
4. Fill a cast iron pan with oil. The oil should be enough to completely cover the chickpea balls. Heat until the oil is very hot but not smoking. Carefully lower chickpea balls into oil one at a time, allowing a little space between each ball. Cook in batches, if necessary. Allow to cook undisturbed until well browned all over. This should take approx. 4 minutes. Transfer cooked chickpea balls to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with remaining chickpea balls.

Did you make this recipe?

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Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #africaonyourplate

Emem

 

Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
Completely nuts about Avocado.