# Falafel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667 "2010-07-06T03:11:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/1 "2010-07-06T03:11:34Z")
‘No, actually I feel pretty good!’ When I make falafel I always use [Osem Falafel Mix](http://osem.co.uk/products/osem-falafel-mix). Of course, that’s because it’s the only mix they carry around here. It’s pretty good, actually. But homemade falafel was mentioned in another thread, so I thought I’d look at a recipe. Many of the people commenting on the recipe complained that although they followed the recipe exactly, their balls fell apart in the oil. ‘Mess’ was a common description. I’ve never had the balls made with the Osem mix fall apart. Does anyone have a foolproof, guarantied-not-to-fall-apart from-scratch falafel recipe? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/2 "2010-07-06T03:23:06Z")
No recipes, but I’d like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to [Falafel’s Drive-In](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzGuxL0MY0E). Without question, the _ **best** _ “tacos from Morocco” in San Jose. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/3 "2010-07-06T03:55:04Z")
So instead of offering your [sweet balls](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=568021) to the ladies, now you can offer them a taste of your hot spicy balls. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/4 "2010-07-06T04:07:25Z")
😃 ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/5 "2010-07-06T05:48:13Z")
There’s some Jewish Falafel from the street cart in Manhattan that really can’t be beat. Their secret is that they used dried, soaked, ground chickpeas, mixed weith fresh spices and herbs,… They are simply scooped with heavy duty ice cream flip scoops… directlt into the oil - deep-fried in peanut oil. They also have an excellent spicy red pepper sauce and a cool “white sauce”. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/6 "2010-07-06T16:59:32Z")
I find that mixing in some flour and water in the batter will help the balls stay together. Also, make sure the oil is heated to really, seriously, very freaking hot before you put the balls in. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/7 "2010-07-06T18:57:54Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Also, make sure the oil is heated to really, seriously, very freaking hot before you put the balls in. My experience has also been that oil that is not hot enough has them fall away like a raccoon washing bread. I like to make the balls smaller, or flattened so that they cook all the way through. They also fit better in the pita. Last time I used nan. It held up better than pita. ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/8 "2010-07-07T04:16:28Z")
Don’t cook the chickpeas … soak them overnight, drain and grind in a food processor. Cooked chickpeas (or canned ones) will make your falafel disintegrate. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/9 "2010-07-07T13:57:35Z")
> [@blackhobyah](#): > > Don’t cook the chickpeas … soak them overnight, drain and grind in a food processor. Cooked chickpeas (or canned ones) will make your falafel disintegrate. This. **Do not use cooked chick peas**. Soaked, drained and ground chick peas will have the right consistency by themselves. If the falafel mixture is still a bit too crumbly, add just a little bit of moisture or put the balls in the freezer for half an hour to firm up. I generally make a whole batch and freeze most - you can deep-fry them straight from the freezer. Fry at 180 c (356 f) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/10 "2010-07-07T14:23:37Z")
[Recipes](http://mideastfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/falafelrecipe.htm) I find cook the chickpeas or use canned. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/11 "2010-07-07T14:30:27Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > [Recipes](http://mideastfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/falafelrecipe.htm) I find cook the chickpeas or use canned. I’ve tried a few times with canned / cooked recipes and it’s always been a mess. Sometimes it works just well enough, but IME there’s about 50% chance of the things just falling apart. [this is the recipe I use now and it works fine](http://www.vegatopia.com/vega/koken/recepten/9549-je-eigen-falafel-is-het-lekkerst). Translated: 350 grams of dried chick peas, soaked overnight then drained. 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds. toasted 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1 small onion 2 cloves of garlic +/- 2 spoons each of chopped fresh mint, fresh coriander, fresh parsley Use an immersion blender to mix it all into a paste (this will take a while, since the chick peas will be hard). Form into balls. Fry at 180 c. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/12 "2010-07-07T14:41:08Z")
I don’t think I’ve seen any dried chickpeas here. I might fry some of the hummus I made when I get home tonight. Perhaps adding flour keeps them intact. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/13 "2010-07-07T14:57:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I don’t think I’ve seen any dried chickpeas here. > I might fry some of the hummus I made when I get home tonight. Perhaps adding flour keeps them intact. I live in an area with lots of Middle-Eastern and North African people. Dried chick peas (and dried any-kind-of-bean) are sold everywhere. But yeah, you probably need to add more dry mass if you only have cooked peas. The tahin in the hummus probably adds even more moisture. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/14 "2010-07-07T15:23:25Z")
I bake my falafels as opposed to deep frying them for health reasons, [here’s the recipe](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Seans-Falafel-and-Cucumber-Sauce/Detail.aspx) I use. The balls don’t fall apart and can be adjusted to be dryer or wetter by varying slightly the amount breadcrumbs used. If your balls are too dry, which will tend to crack and fall apart, reduce the breadcrumbs. Ignore the Cucumber Sauce recipe though, I make much better tztaziki utilizing greek yogurt. This stuff is a bland, boring imposter that’s not even worth the partly unnecessary effort involved. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/15 "2010-07-07T15:25:51Z")
Oh, also find that shucking the chickpeas makes my falafels stick together better and my hummus less gritty. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/16 "2010-07-07T15:27:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > like a raccoon washing bread. I can’t say as I’ve ever heard those words in that order before. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/17 "2010-07-07T15:42:50Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > I can’t say as I’ve ever heard those words in that order before. Raccoons wash their food. If you give a coon a piece of bread, or more likely, he steals it from your trash, he will take it to a source of water and wash it until it disintegrates. You can almost hear the poor, hungry guy muttering, “WTF?!?” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/18 "2010-07-07T15:49:19Z")
Wow! Ignorance fought! And here I thought all they did was crap in the same place in my yard. 😕 (google raccoon latrine) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/19 "2010-07-07T16:02:00Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Wow! Ignorance fought! And here I thought all they did was crap in the same place in my yard. 😕 (google raccoon latrine) Another reason to not feed them bread in my yard! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667/20 "2010-07-08T06:08:12Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Oh, also find that shucking the chickpeas makes my falafels stick together better and my hummus less gritty. This sounds rather personal! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falafel/545667.md?page=2)