ByKeeshaPosted onUpdated on
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Today, I will show you how to make authentic Egyptian falafel. This underrated vegan treat is easy to make, very versatile and flexible, and packed with simple yet delicious flavors.
Table of Contents
What Is Egyptian Falafel Made Of?
Egyptian falafels are also commonly called Ta’ameya or Tamiya. The key difference between these and Turkish or Israeli falafels is that they use fava beans instead of chickpeas. Sometimes, a combination of fava beans and chickpeas is used.
The accompanying ingredients for Egyptian falafels pretty much stay the same. It usually includes garlic, onion, cumin, and a little bit of flour. You can also add some fresh chopped parsley or coriander.
And, you can still serve them with the same (or similar) delicious side dishes. One of my all-time favorite side dishes for these falafels isEgyptian Ful. You can make my homemade recipe and adjust some of the flavors if you’d like.
How To Make Egyptian Falafel
Now, the process of making these Egyptian falafels is also almost exactly the same as making the better-known chickpea version. The biggest difference in the recipes is that these falafels use fava beans. These beans need to be prepared in a slightly different way.
To start, you will need to prepare your fava beans. It is always better to soak dried fava beans (and chickpeas for that matter). Canned fava beans are too soft and won’t add much texture. And they are often flavored, which doesn’t make them work well for this recipe.
When using dried fava beans, you will need to soak them. It is a lengthy process but effortless and worth the time.
After the beans have been soaked they are drained and worked in the food processor. Finally, the remaining ingredients are added and pulsed into a rough coarse dough.
What I especially love about my recipe is that it is simple, easy, and very adjustable. Naturally, you can alter the flavors of the spices added.
Authentic Egyptian falafel balls have some texture. So, you don’t pulse the fava beans until they form a lump-free paste. Instead, you just work them into a coarse paste-like mixture.
But, if you aren’t a fan of this consistency, you can always work it into a finer and smoother paste if you’d like.
Tips And Tricks For Making My Delicious Egyptian Falafel recipe
- You can substitute half of the fava beans (1/2 cup) with chickpeas. The chickpeas will also need to be soaked to soften.
- Authentic Egyptian falafels are extremely fluffy. Many locals claim that the way you get this texture is by whipping the pulverized mixture in a stand mixer for 4-5 minutes. I haven’t personally tried it, but other falafel makers swear by it.
- You can dip the cooked falafel balls into white sesame seeds if you’d like. They will provide more flavor and texture.
- Always test the temperature of the oil before frying the falafels. If the oil is too cold, it will make your falafel balls soggy and won’t crisp them up. Test one falafel ball initially to see how it fries. It will give you a good indication of whether you need to increase or decrease the temperature of the oil.
- You can bake these falafels in the oven or fry them in an air-fryer. The cooking times will vary slightly for each of these methods. Baked falafels will take 10 minutes at 360ºF (180ºC). Air-fried falafels will take 5 minutes.
FAQs
What can you serve with Egyptian falafel?
As I have mentioned, you can serve these Egyptian falafel balls with Egyptian Ful. However, they also go great with tahini, hummus, pita, and a variety of fresh vegetables. You can lookhere for some other serving inspiration ideas.
Can you eat falafel uncooked?
Technically you can eat falafel without cooking them. But they won’t be nearly as good. Frying gives them more flavor while adding a crunchy outside texture. So, while it’s perfectly safe, it won’t be as good.
Should you eat a falafel cold?
Falafel is one of the few dishes that are incredibly tasty while served hot and cold. Many people actually only use cold falafels. But, while they are cold they still have been cooked to give them more texture and flavor.
More Amazing Falafel Recipe
Air-Fried Lemony Falafel
Authentic Falafel Recipe
Egyptian Falafel Recipe – An Authentic Delicious Savory Treat
Keesha
My Egyptian falafel recipe is incredibly easy to make, versatile, and stuffed with delicious simple savory flavors. Try it with my homemade Egyptian Ful recipe too!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Soaking Time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Servings 10
Calories 82 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cup dried split fava beans
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small green onion
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp water( only if necessary)
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Prepare the beans
First, rinse the fava beans under running water. Cover the beans with cold water and allow them to soak at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
Once soaked, you can drain the beans and set them aside.
Make the falafel mixture
Place the soaked and softened fava beans into a food processor. Then, give it a few pulses to get a uniform coarse mixture. There shouldn't be any large chunks, but the mixture shouldn't be a smooth paste. It should have some texture to it.
Add the remaining ingredients and pulse the mixture some more.
Finally, adjust the consistency of the falafel mixture until it comes together. Add a little bit of water as you pulse the ingredients together.
Shape and cook the falafel balls
Next, divide the mixture into 10-20 portions depending on the size that you want. Then, roll each into a perfect ball and set it aside.
Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan or pot. You can shallow fry or deep-fry falafel balls.
Once the oil is heated, fry your Egyptian falafels over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes or until they are golden brown in color.
Drain the balls on a piece of kitchen towel. Repeat the process until all your falafel balls have been fried.
Serve them immediately with your favorite accompaniments.
Nutrition
Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 240mgPotassium: 373mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 342IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
