Five simple ingredients: Authentic falafel made at home

Hosting a lot of friends and kids and need to feed everyone? Probably yes. Missing that local falafel shop? We thought so. Orly Plai-Bronstein presents a simple homemade recipe, requiring only five ingredients, for the most delicious and authentic Israeli falafel. Serve it with tahini and a vegetable salad, and you've got yourself a complete and nutritious meal.

You can choose which falafel variation to prepare today:

Green Falafel: Add a bunch of parsley and/or cilantro.

Red Falafel: Use red schug and/or add 2 heaping tablespoons of sun-dried tomato spread or matbucha.

Yellow Falafel: Season with a tablespoon of hawaij, turmeric, or curry.

Orange Falafel: Add 3 tablespoons of sweet potato or pumpkin puree.

Purple Falafel: Add 2 tablespoons of beet puree.

Authentic Falafel Recipe

By: Orly Plai-Bronstein

• Preparation Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

500 grams of chickpeas, soaked overnight

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon schug (hot pepper spread)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon salt

Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Prepare the Mixture: Using a meat grinder or food processor, grind all ingredients until the mixture is uniform but still slightly grainy.

2. Adjust the Texture: Add 2-3 tablespoons of water if needed (less if adding vegetable puree). The trick here is to aim for a mixture that holds its shape but looks like it might fall apart. If it's too wet, the falafel balls will come out dense.

3. Heat the Oil: Heat oil for deep frying.

4. Form the Falafel Balls: Shape the mixture into falafel balls by hand or with a specialized falafel scoop, and fry at medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a strainer or absorbent paper.

5. Serve: Enjoy the falafel with pita, tahini, a green salad, and any other favorites.

Orly Plai-Bronstein, in collaboration with Sugat.