Falafel Soak the chickpeas in water the night before (they will double in size). Rinse them. To a food processor, add the cilantro, parsley, green chili, onion, chick peas. Do not add salt/seasonings yet. Pulse/scrape down (you don’t want to overwork it). You want a paste that will hold together. If you toss it can lands in one piece without breaking, and you can pick it up. If making extra, freeze the excess now in a ziplock flattened. Let rest 30 min. When ready to fry, add salt and seasonings, gently mix. Portion 1.25 TBSP and shape into a ball. Deep fry @ 325F 6-8 min. When brown, floating, and bubbles are subsiding, they are done. Pita Add milk and water together and heat to 100F. Add yeast, sugar and mix. Let sit 15 min. In mixing bowl, add flour, salt and mix. Pour in yeast mixture. Add oil and combine. Knead 8-12 min in mixer until smooth and stretches easily. Form into a ball, place in oiled bowl, cover and rest in a warm spot for 1h. Preheat oven to 465F with a stone. Place dough on floured surface. Divide into 8 portions, each 60-65g. Ball them and roll each into a 6-inch disc. Rest 15-20 min covered. Throw each disc onto stone and cook 3 min. Remove and stack, covered, and cook the rest. Quick Pickled Red Cabbage Quarter cabbage, slice. Wash the cabbage twice. Drain, add salt, sugar, citric acid, massage in. Let sit 30 min. Add vinegar and lemon juice, massage. Add olive oil, mix. Store in fridge with liquid. Spicy Onions Halve the onion lengthwise and cut into thin strips lengthwise. Add salt and sugar, massage. Let sit 10 min. Rough chop chillies, add to chopper with garlic, vinegar, and spices, process until it is a paste. When onion has softened, add the chili paste, mix and refrigerate. Arabic Salad Dice cuke, onion, tomato, add other ingredients and mix. Tahini Sauce Add tahini, lemon, and then water in stages. Mix and keep adding water until desired consistency. Add salt and spices. Dispense via squeezy bottle. Assemble Slice open one end of puffed pita. On bottom side, add a layer of tahini sauce, pickled cabbage, spicy onions, Arabic salad, falafel balls. Turn upright and add more tahini sauce.
@@nogisomee Classic falafel sandwich is made with the falafel balls, freshly sliced ripe tomatoes, pickled turnips, and tahini sauce. Some people add thinly sliced radishes. Stuffing the whole thing in a puffed pita bread is a very bad idea. The only civilized way is to place everything in layers on a laffa (wrap) and tightly roll it. You get to enjoy all the ingredients with every bite, and no tahini sauce will make a mess by leaking from the bottom of the pita bread.
I've found that the batter holds together better after resting in the fridge for 6+ hours (or overnight). I think it gives the starch time to develop and moisture time to distribute evenly.
I love meal prepping falafel. I shape mine into pucks as they fry faster, crispier and require less oil to cook. I shape, place them on lightly oiled baking pans, freeze them until firm, then bag them up in large freezer bags. They go straight from the freezer into the oil and cook up beautifully.
As an Egyptian I’m a firm believer that fava bean falafel is the true falafel and the best! 😂That said, your recipe is fantastic and I can tell that Salma’s scientific background is coming into play here with all the precise measurements and instructions.
@@wasim.akram5As an avid TH-cam user and comment reader, I'd say how about starting at your own nation? No other nation makes so many comments like: our food is the best, or: this dish is indian, not from your country, or: our version is the real/best version, or: you cooked that wrong, we in India do it that way and that's the only right way. (Not saying all Indians do that, but more than any other nation I come across in the comment sections.) So, how about not throwing stones but question your own actions first?
@@wasim.akram5 as another Indian, I ask that you stop speaking for all Indians...your bigotry has nothing to do with you being "Indian"...just everything to do with you being a bigot... Stopping proudly saying "as an Indian" followed by something stupid, you are giving the rest of us a bad name...
I’m no expert, but if it was me, after shaping the falafel into pucks, I would spritz them with olive oil and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or until done and golden brown and delicious. Peas and Lovage from New Zealand
I placed them in my air fryer without oil and theycame out perfectly crispy. I just needed to wait until they were golden and crispy. I was shocked and happy.
Years ago every recipe for falafel used tinned chickpeas and every single time it was a very messy complete failure. It took me years to finally learn where I went wrong - but it wasn't really my fault for trusting the recipes. Anyway, thanks for putting people right on this. I look forward to following your recipe very soon.
Haha yeah I remember the first time I made felafel everything just falling apart and getting a pan full of bits because I used tinned. I was crying with frustration and ended up shallow frying felafel patties!
Whenever I make falafel, I always use your chilli sauce recipe from the shawarma video you did a few years ago. That goes really nicely with tahini sauce!
Wonderfully complete and easy description! I like how you break the elements down, and perhaps you could emphasize more the "make ahead" elements that can play multiple roles v the "a la minute" processes for this specific dish. We have been big fans of your channel for a couple of years now and thank you for your enthusiasm and tutelage!
I have tried several different recipes but this is the most well presented one and the test of water consistency of falafel is *hands-down* the key to a great falafel. Thanks a lot.
Blessings from Colombia South America, cordial greetings! I have seen and replicated almost all your recipes and the only one you need to make, on occasion, is Kibbi's. My family and I hope to also be able to make it at home like you do. Big hug and we continue waiting patiently. May your successes continue.
thank you for making these delicious foods so accessible and approachable. I love so many different things from different cultures and sometimes it can feel daunting to take on a meal like this, there's the worry of messing it up and somehow offending the culture it comes from, there's the lack of background within the culture to know what spices would make sense and what wouldn't, and of course the financial concern of if the ingredients are affordable. You just do such an awesome job bringing it to a comfortable place, where someone can look at this falafel and say "yeah, i think I can make that." without all the second thoughts.
This whole recipe collection is amazing amd super useful! I love having dry chickpeas around and i have failed to make falafel before but i love the detail you go into here and the way you address common falafel mistakes. I will definitely be trying these out some time soon!
absolutely love your recipes dude. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine is my favorite and i feel like your recipes are the definitive versions of those dishes.
secret to perfect falafel... Use an Egyptian recipe with fava beans as the base instead of chickpeas (otherwise the rest of the recipe is the same). It should be slightly more fluffier. Also I would add leeks to the greens to blend. Love this channel - amazing recipes and very well explained and presented!
When you say you use leeks, are you using them when they are fully grown or when they are just smaller shoots? Asking because I got talking the a Syrian guy at a community garden near me (New Zealand) and he grew masses of leeks and cut them as greens when they were a few inches tall and would use them the same way I would use Spring Onions or Chives. I made the recipe in the video last night and it was much better than my standard Falafel recipe I've been using for years, but I am keen to try the Egyptian recipe you've suggested next time.
@@kerrynisbet1514 fully grown. Last I made Egyptian Falafel I bought the leeks from a local grocers. Think about the bags of leeks you can get at Sainsbury's or Tesco's that are about 40/50 cm long - that works just fine 🙂.
@@tammersalem No worries! I understood what you were meaning. Will give this a go if I can find fava beans - they aren't a very common ingredient here, but there are a couple of shops that sell Middle Eastern foods so hopefully they should have some.
Hey Middle Eats, Thanks for the awesome video! Your authentic Middle Eastern recipe, which is also vegan, rocks! 🌱👌 Looking forward to more of these! Cheers, SaphyronCQ
Every recipe in this video is incredible! Made the best falafel sandwiches I've ever made following this video for the most part. The onion and chili salad was particularly amazing! I'd never had anything quite like it before and it will be a staple for all of my Middle Eastern cooking in the future! Thanks for all of the terrific recipes!
Love your food and channel. Could you make a video for the Egyptian version of falafel ? I used to eat these as a child and would love to be able to make them.
Thank you for explaining why fresh rehydrated chickpeas work, whereas canned cooked chickpeas won't without a binder. That's where I screwed up my first time making them. They disintegrated in the fryer. Now I know, and I owe another cook an apology for being upset with her falafel recipe. From now on I will use rehydrated and not canned chickpeas. Also, you blew my mind with the pickling condiments! Wow! I always wondered how to go about doing something like that and just like that you brought me the knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you, so very much. If I start gushing again over your flawless pita recipe I'll be writing a book in the comments section, but thank you for also demystifying that recipe as well. You are a thoughtful and good cook. I look forward to using your recipe and technique. Thank you a thousand times for this video.
Went to Cairo this past month. Ate Abo Haidar pretty much everyday 😂 holy cow you weren’t lying it’s SO GOOD so unique I haven’t had anything as good since
Thank you, can't wait to try this! The Falafel Drive-In in San Jose, California was so special to me, and only now do I remember my step-Dad Manuel took us when we were young. I've been chasing that experience ever since they closed.
That freezer trick is so cool! I like making falafel, but the whole soaking overnight thing means that I have to prepare at least a day in advance. Thank you so much Obi! Also, I live in an area where Spanish is a common enough language, so I have to remind myself that Cumin is Comino and Corriander is Cilantro. 😅
You are one of the few chefs that has produced the proper recipe for falafel along with the condiments. I soak dried and peeled Fava Beans with my Chick Peas overnight. Try it, you won’t regret it! That’s not to say that your recipe is not delicious. Thank you 🙏 ❤
I watched your recipe yesterday in the evening and i went straight to the kitchen and soaked the chickpeas , today i made the falafel and it's delicious and so good , i added to the batter two spoons of ein jaradah( عين جراده) it's similar to dill seeds but has different taste and it was so good , i always wanted to make falafel at home but it always doesn't come up good.
I was fortunate enough some years ago to holiday quite often in Egypt (scuba diving) and I must say that the falafel there (I think they called them Tameah) were absolutely incredible. I'm a terribly fussy eater and love my meat dishes but in Egypt I would happily have lived off falafel and foul for the extent of my stay. I wish it was possible to find that style of falafel back home. Yummy! Shout out to Abo Aya in Hurghada! When my travel mates were eating continental breakfasts I would make every effort to go downtown to this little place for breakfast. It was funny that all the guys working on the boats knew about the place and you would often see a look of surprise on their faces when you mentioned it. Kinda like a locals only secret lol. I loved my time in Egypt and I miss the people places and amazing food there. Shukran!
You can of course make giant ones, but the bigger, the longer it needs to cook for to be fully cooked in the center. That also means more oil absorption and the outside getting overly crisp.
OBI! Such a wonderful recipe, I too can’t get my falafel right, always falling apart when I fry them! You’re the man! Especially the one I go to for Mediterranean food! Thank you again, to you & your wife for such great videos!
Any substitute suggestions for those of us with the coriander/cilantro soap gene? If I make this exactly according to recipe, it would taste like nothing but flowery fabric softener to me.
That looks so delicious. I'm always looking for tasty food for my vegetarian that we can all enjoy. On another note, try mixing your dough using the handle of your wooden , - I find it works better. 🤗
For the Pita bread, could I use semi skimmed lactose free cows milk? I recently had to chance my whole fridge and pantry bc newly discovered lactose 😢 some cheeses I can still have but it a lot of researching work
Yes, you can. I make pita with water instead of milk. You can also use yogurt (or even vegan yoghurt). I find live sheeps' milk or sheeps' milk yogurt doesn't bother my guts at all, whereas cow's milk does.
This took me back to getting off the school bus after school, walking over to the dakaan and getting a freshly made falafel sandwich (ta’amiya is what it was called where I grew up) and my mouth is watering!! 🤤🤤
I've made my fair share of falafel and I'm glad to see that I'm not far off from your way of making them. However, I found that a meat grinder is the best tool for the right consistency of the batter but a food processor is a close second. I actually bought a meat grinder for making falafel but I have also ground some meat with it since (freshly ground meat makes a real difference in smashed burgers). And I find adding some dill and mint to the batter is a good idea. It really takes them to the next level.
Thank you for sharing all these recipes. Funnily enough I made everything except the falafel as I had some chicken breast I needed to use up. The pittas were lovely and soft and easy to make! The salads were delicious and added that bit of oompf to the meal.
I use the Midde East mix and bake them. When I have the ability to deep fry again, I ill give yours a shot as I have yet to try a recipe of yours that was not delicious.
Just tried your recipe tonight. Made the pitas, the pickled red cabbage, the tahini sauce, and fried the falafels from the batch I mixed up yesterday. These were the BEST falafel sandwiches that I've had as far back as I can remember! Perhaps best ever! I'll make the Arabic salad and the spicy onions perhaps tomorrow! P.S. I was really afraid the batter would fall apart in the oil, but it didn't! Sitting in the fridge over night may have been the key. I am SO thankful I now have a go to falafel recipe!!!
Hello! Thank you for making these videos so good and well explained. I would like to know, please, what else do you recommend for falafel, whether to add baking soda or baking powder? Thank you
It's been a very long time since I made Falafel, my recipe was decent, but I'm definitely going to use some tips from this video and it'll certainly be improved!
Looks amazing. One question, for the cabbage, how common is it for people to have citric acid in their home? Lol. I've only seen it in my kids chemistry sets.
You can buy it in Asian, Indian and Arabic grocery stores. I always have some in my spice cupboard because it's a good substitute for lemon and doesn't go bitter.
Just my own personal experience with (frequently) making pita & getting a good puff; get the rack they're being baked on as close to the top of the oven as possible. At least for me, improved my success rate of them fully puffing up
I found some split desi chickpeas in the Indian section. I like spicy though I doubt it adds that much but would it change the consistency? Since they’re already smaller?
Hi Middle Eats. There's a recipe i have been trying to find online for something i tried in egypt 5yrs ago and i dont know what it's called but i crave it so much. I hope you can help. It's a sandwich using pita and the filling is a really tangy tomato and aubergine filling, i think it was a breakfast sandwich but i can't find it anywhere. Help 😅
Yeah could be mesa'a'ah or Moussaka in English. We have a recipe for the Egyptian one, however it's with meat, you can just leave that out. Another thing we do is take small aubergines and pickle them with chilli, could be that!
Way to put me on the spot 😄, now all the chickpea falafel countries are gonna hate me... I personally like the Egyptian one more, however it's not the falafel that everyone in the west knows. It has a fluffier texture inside and is lighter, but has less crunch.
I used the can and the falafel fell apart, I wish I had seen the video earlier. But I am a good cook, I strained the crumbled chickpeas and was able to save that oil, I used the strained oily chickpeas for adding flavor to other foods. Then, with the leftover mix, I cooked them on a cast iron pan and they came out pretty good
Is it possible to make pseudo-falafel using other types of bean? Is there something special about the starches (or whatever) in chickpeas? Are there food safety concerns? I’ve heard some types are dangerous if undercooked… Great video btw. My falafel has always been hit-or-miss, so thank you for this.
My spouse is allergic to cayenne, cumin, and chilies. Is there a good substitute for these things or should I just omit them in this recipe? My spouse can have Kashmiri chili powder. Would that work?
Chili powder and cayenne are both nightshades. My spouse can't have any nightshades without... Dying. Kashmiri chili powder isn't a nightshade, that I know of. If it is, my spouse isn't allergic to that one. I'm mostly wondering if it would be worth it without cumin. Cumin is delicious. @@happydillpickle
It definitely is the easiest and simplest falafel recipe that I've come across in a while. Just one question tho, in your Middle eastern cooking, should we use roasted cumin and coriander or unroasted? What's the authenticity of this? Thanks.
I love Falafel and try it everywhere I see it. But i truly think that Falafel from fava beans (Egyptian version) taste much better than with chickpeas (if done right)
I know it's not authentic but is there a way to cook them that doesn't involve deep frying? I can't have that much oil in a pan. Can they be cooked in an air frier/oven etc? Would love your thoughts.
I'm sure supermarket felafels are oven baked. If you make the mixture using a tin instead of raw soaked chick peas, you can shallow fry them with minimal oil, like little round patties. I found that out by mistake years ago when I made the mistake of using tinned chick peas and they all fell apart in the deep oil and I had to shallow fry the rest. If you don't like deep fried foods, I think that's possibly the best way to do it.
I would love to see you make Feteer meshaltet like the one you get at “wahet Omar” Alexandria road. Big fan of your work and we ended up making shawarma for Christmas Eve and my family loved. Cheers and hopefully you’ll see my message.
Obi your are a master 👌 that sandwich looks amazing i can tast it while fasting 😂. For me I prefer fava beans ones ,but i ll use your tips in my next batch .
Falafel
Soak the chickpeas in water the night before (they will double in size). Rinse them.
To a food processor, add the cilantro, parsley, green chili, onion, chick peas. Do not add salt/seasonings yet. Pulse/scrape down (you don’t want to overwork it). You want a paste that will hold together. If you toss it can lands in one piece without breaking, and you can pick it up. If making extra, freeze the excess now in a ziplock flattened.
Let rest 30 min. When ready to fry, add salt and seasonings, gently mix.
Portion 1.25 TBSP and shape into a ball. Deep fry @ 325F 6-8 min. When brown, floating, and bubbles are subsiding, they are done.
Pita
Add milk and water together and heat to 100F. Add yeast, sugar and mix. Let sit 15 min. In mixing bowl, add flour, salt and mix. Pour in yeast mixture. Add oil and combine. Knead 8-12 min in mixer until smooth and stretches easily. Form into a ball, place in oiled bowl, cover and rest in a warm spot for 1h. Preheat oven to 465F with a stone. Place dough on floured surface. Divide into 8 portions, each 60-65g. Ball them and roll each into a 6-inch disc. Rest 15-20 min covered. Throw each disc onto stone and cook 3 min. Remove and stack, covered, and cook the rest.
Quick Pickled Red Cabbage
Quarter cabbage, slice. Wash the cabbage twice. Drain, add salt, sugar, citric acid, massage in. Let sit 30 min. Add vinegar and lemon juice, massage. Add olive oil, mix. Store in fridge with liquid.
Spicy Onions
Halve the onion lengthwise and cut into thin strips lengthwise. Add salt and sugar, massage. Let sit 10 min. Rough chop chillies, add to chopper with garlic, vinegar, and spices, process until it is a paste. When onion has softened, add the chili paste, mix and refrigerate.
Arabic Salad
Dice cuke, onion, tomato, add other ingredients and mix.
Tahini Sauce
Add tahini, lemon, and then water in stages. Mix and keep adding water until desired consistency. Add salt and spices. Dispense via squeezy bottle.
Assemble
Slice open one end of puffed pita. On bottom side, add a layer of tahini sauce, pickled cabbage, spicy onions, Arabic salad, falafel balls. Turn upright and add more tahini sauce.
Thanks 🙏
@@nogisomee Classic falafel sandwich is made with the falafel balls, freshly sliced ripe tomatoes, pickled turnips, and tahini sauce. Some people add thinly sliced radishes. Stuffing the whole thing in a puffed pita bread is a very bad idea. The only civilized way is to place everything in layers on a laffa (wrap) and tightly roll it. You get to enjoy all the ingredients with every bite, and no tahini sauce will make a mess by leaking from the bottom of the pita bread.
I've found that the batter holds together better after resting in the fridge for 6+ hours (or overnight). I think it gives the starch time to develop and moisture time to distribute evenly.
Thanks for the tip, gonna give em some rest next time!!!
Pita or falafel?
@@avisternlieb449 the falafel bater
I love meal prepping falafel. I shape mine into pucks as they fry faster, crispier and require less oil to cook. I shape, place them on lightly oiled baking pans, freeze them until firm, then bag them up in large freezer bags. They go straight from the freezer into the oil and cook up beautifully.
Or your air fryer! 😊
As an Egyptian I’m a firm believer that fava bean falafel is the true falafel and the best! 😂That said, your recipe is fantastic and I can tell that Salma’s scientific background is coming into play here with all the precise measurements and instructions.
@@wasim.akram5 Sir that is not nice.
I have yet to try the fava bean version. Can't wait!
@@wasim.akram5As an avid TH-cam user and comment reader, I'd say how about starting at your own nation?
No other nation makes so many comments like: our food is the best, or: this dish is indian, not from your country, or: our version is the real/best version, or: you cooked that wrong, we in India do it that way and that's the only right way. (Not saying all Indians do that, but more than any other nation I come across in the comment sections.)
So, how about not throwing stones but question your own actions first?
@@wasim.akram5 as another Indian, I ask that you stop speaking for all Indians...your bigotry has nothing to do with you being "Indian"...just everything to do with you being a bigot...
Stopping proudly saying "as an Indian" followed by something stupid, you are giving the rest of us a bad name...
@@wasim.akram5never had favalafel, but I’m not a huge fan of fava or foul medames - how does fava falafel compare with chick pea falafel?
Could you do a video on the best recipe for baked falafel? I love frying falafel but realistically don't do it too often.
I’m no expert, but if it was me, after shaping the falafel into pucks, I would spritz them with olive oil and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or until done and golden brown and delicious. Peas and Lovage from New Zealand
I added a little olive oil to the batter and air fried mine last night and they turned out great! Not as golden brown but the taste was divine.
I placed them in my air fryer without oil and theycame out perfectly crispy. I just needed to wait until they were golden and crispy. I was shocked and happy.
Years ago every recipe for falafel used tinned chickpeas and every single time it was a very messy complete failure. It took me years to finally learn where I went wrong - but it wasn't really my fault for trusting the recipes. Anyway, thanks for putting people right on this. I look forward to following your recipe very soon.
Haha yeah I remember the first time I made felafel everything just falling apart and getting a pan full of bits because I used tinned. I was crying with frustration and ended up shallow frying felafel patties!
Whenever I make falafel, I always use your chilli sauce recipe from the shawarma video you did a few years ago. That goes really nicely with tahini sauce!
Can you pls sharevthe link to that video? Thank you.
@@utubebeena it's the shawarma recipe on this channel. Have a look in the videos.
Wonderfully complete and easy description! I like how you break the elements down, and perhaps you could emphasize more the "make ahead" elements that can play multiple roles v the "a la minute" processes for this specific dish. We have been big fans of your channel for a couple of years now and thank you for your enthusiasm and tutelage!
I have tried several different recipes but this is the most well presented one and the test of water consistency of falafel is *hands-down* the key to a great falafel. Thanks a lot.
Blessings from Colombia South America, cordial greetings! I have seen and replicated almost all your recipes and the only one you need to make, on occasion, is Kibbi's. My family and I hope to also be able to make it at home like you do. Big hug and we continue waiting patiently. May your successes continue.
thank you for making these delicious foods so accessible and approachable.
I love so many different things from different cultures and sometimes it can feel daunting to take on a meal like this, there's the worry of messing it up and somehow offending the culture it comes from, there's the lack of background within the culture to know what spices would make sense and what wouldn't, and of course the financial concern of if the ingredients are affordable.
You just do such an awesome job bringing it to a comfortable place, where someone can look at this falafel and say "yeah, i think I can make that." without all the second thoughts.
This whole recipe collection is amazing amd super useful! I love having dry chickpeas around and i have failed to make falafel before but i love the detail you go into here and the way you address common falafel mistakes. I will definitely be trying these out some time soon!
I want to try the Egyptian fava bean ones!!
it's so good..the original flafel and the fava Bean dishes ❤❤
I believe there’s a recipe for it on this channel, it’s one of their older recipes.
Ta'ameya is the name!
absolutely love your recipes dude. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine is my favorite and i feel like your recipes are the definitive versions of those dishes.
So delicious and perfect instructions. I made everything last night but the pita and we really enjoyed it!
secret to perfect falafel...
Use an Egyptian recipe with fava beans as the base instead of chickpeas (otherwise the rest of the recipe is the same). It should be slightly more fluffier. Also I would add leeks to the greens to blend.
Love this channel - amazing recipes and very well explained and presented!
When you say you use leeks, are you using them when they are fully grown or when they are just smaller shoots? Asking because I got talking the a Syrian guy at a community garden near me (New Zealand) and he grew masses of leeks and cut them as greens when they were a few inches tall and would use them the same way I would use Spring Onions or Chives.
I made the recipe in the video last night and it was much better than my standard Falafel recipe I've been using for years, but I am keen to try the Egyptian recipe you've suggested next time.
@@kerrynisbet1514 fully grown. Last I made Egyptian Falafel I bought the leeks from a local grocers. Think about the bags of leeks you can get at Sainsbury's or Tesco's that are about 40/50 cm long - that works just fine 🙂.
@@kerrynisbet1514 - just realised I quoted British supermarkets and you said you were in New Zealand 🙂 (apologies!)
@@tammersalem No worries! I understood what you were meaning. Will give this a go if I can find fava beans - they aren't a very common ingredient here, but there are a couple of shops that sell Middle Eastern foods so hopefully they should have some.
He has another recipe video like that, with leek and fava, but fava beans are hard to get.
Hey Middle Eats,
Thanks for the awesome video! Your authentic Middle Eastern recipe, which is also vegan, rocks! 🌱👌 Looking forward to more of these!
Cheers,
SaphyronCQ
Every recipe in this video is incredible! Made the best falafel sandwiches I've ever made following this video for the most part. The onion and chili salad was particularly amazing! I'd never had anything quite like it before and it will be a staple for all of my Middle Eastern cooking in the future! Thanks for all of the terrific recipes!
Love your food and channel. Could you make a video for the Egyptian version of falafel ? I used to eat these as a child and would love to be able to make them.
It looks amazing, thanks for the recipe!
Excellent, this is such a complete recipe!! Thanks!
I loove falafel for week end breakfast, Can't ask more, thank you for sharing
This channel is great man! I can't wait to start trying some of these recipes
Thank you for explaining why fresh rehydrated chickpeas work, whereas canned cooked chickpeas won't without a binder. That's where I screwed up my first time making them. They disintegrated in the fryer. Now I know, and I owe another cook an apology for being upset with her falafel recipe. From now on I will use rehydrated and not canned chickpeas. Also, you blew my mind with the pickling condiments! Wow! I always wondered how to go about doing something like that and just like that you brought me the knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you, so very much. If I start gushing again over your flawless pita recipe I'll be writing a book in the comments section, but thank you for also demystifying that recipe as well. You are a thoughtful and good cook. I look forward to using your recipe and technique. Thank you a thousand times for this video.
Is “citric acid” the same for cooking as per…cleaning!? Can’t seem to overall find it
Went to Cairo this past month. Ate Abo Haidar pretty much everyday 😂 holy cow you weren’t lying it’s SO GOOD so unique I haven’t had anything as good since
Egyptian falafel are a little different! They use fava beans instead of chick peas which were the star of middle eats‘ last video I believe.
I love falafel and this recipe looks delicious and well explained
This is such a great channel! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Fantastic recipes - thank you. The combination of flavors of all the different sauces were perfect and easy!
Thank you, can't wait to try this! The Falafel Drive-In in San Jose, California was so special to me, and only now do I remember my step-Dad Manuel took us when we were young. I've been chasing that experience ever since they closed.
I made all these dishes for dinner tonight and it was so good. Thank you very much for this 👌🏻.
That freezer trick is so cool! I like making falafel, but the whole soaking overnight thing means that I have to prepare at least a day in advance. Thank you so much Obi!
Also, I live in an area where Spanish is a common enough language, so I have to remind myself that Cumin is Comino and Corriander is Cilantro. 😅
Thanks as always. I rewatch your videos ever time, often. I’m headed to London next month. Do you have a restaurant there?
You are one of the few chefs that has produced the proper recipe for falafel along with the condiments. I soak dried and peeled Fava Beans with my Chick Peas overnight. Try it, you won’t regret it! That’s not to say that your recipe is not delicious. Thank you 🙏 ❤
I watched your recipe yesterday in the evening and i went straight to the kitchen and soaked the chickpeas , today i made the falafel and it's delicious and so good , i added to the batter two spoons of ein jaradah( عين جراده) it's similar to dill seeds but has different taste and it was so good , i always wanted to make falafel at home but it always doesn't come up good.
Thank you for not only the falafel recipe, but all the recipes to make the sandwich!!
love your channel ❤
I was fortunate enough some years ago to holiday quite often in Egypt (scuba diving) and I must say that the falafel there (I think they called them Tameah) were absolutely incredible. I'm a terribly fussy eater and love my meat dishes but in Egypt I would happily have lived off falafel and foul for the extent of my stay. I wish it was possible to find that style of falafel back home. Yummy! Shout out to Abo Aya in Hurghada! When my travel mates were eating continental breakfasts I would make every effort to go downtown to this little place for breakfast. It was funny that all the guys working on the boats knew about the place and you would often see a look of surprise on their faces when you mentioned it. Kinda like a locals only secret lol. I loved my time in Egypt and I miss the people places and amazing food there. Shukran!
I have been WAITING for your recipe for falafel. So excited to eat this with your beautiful chilli and toum sauces
4:07 you can make a big Falafel, even huge falafel balls.
you can also put a filling inside, something like sumac onion, or mince meat with pine nuts.
You can of course make giant ones, but the bigger, the longer it needs to cook for to be fully cooked in the center. That also means more oil absorption and the outside getting overly crisp.
Great video! You make it all look so easy!
OBI! Such a wonderful recipe, I too can’t get my falafel right, always falling apart when I fry them! You’re the man! Especially the one I go to for Mediterranean food! Thank you again, to you & your wife for such great videos!
Any substitute suggestions for those of us with the coriander/cilantro soap gene? If I make this exactly according to recipe, it would taste like nothing but flowery fabric softener to me.
Dill? Does parsley taste soapy to you? If not, no need to add coriander leaf.
Just leave it out.
That looks so delicious. I'm always looking for tasty food for my vegetarian that we can all enjoy. On another note, try mixing your dough using the handle of your wooden , - I find it works better. 🤗
No better recipe. I agree. Thank you so much.
Would you add baking soda to the water when soaking chickpeas like you do for hummus?
Thank you for the detail receipe....I love falafel....not available here so have to make it at home. This is a meal in itself 👍
You took me back to Falasteen grandma memories
A fantastic guide as always, im getting cravigs just watching!! out of curiosity how long will the Tahina store for?
This looks incredible, the sauce and salads feel like a must try
Loving this channel mate, cheers!
For the Pita bread, could I use semi skimmed lactose free cows milk? I recently had to chance my whole fridge and pantry bc newly discovered lactose 😢 some cheeses I can still have but it a lot of researching work
You can definitely use it, and you can use water instead of milk if you want
Yes, you can. I make pita with water instead of milk. You can also use yogurt (or even vegan yoghurt). I find live sheeps' milk or sheeps' milk yogurt doesn't bother my guts at all, whereas cow's milk does.
Hi Obi ,
Can you please make the special Egyptian pastry فطير مشلتت in your way?, I really find it hard to make. I wish to make it soon please ❤
I think it needs a pastry chef or a strong Egyptian woman to make فطير 😂😂
@@nuranreda7582 my grandmother used to make it for her 9 kids for breakfast before school 😂
@@le2382
😂😂😂
@@le2382 Egyptian grandmother are incredible they would make this for breakfast and then make a whole pot of mahshi for dinner 😭😭🙇
@@nuranreda7582
ههههههه ما شاء الله
May Allah bless them
Thank you for this video. Guess I'll try that at the next occasion.
This took me back to getting off the school bus after school, walking over to the dakaan and getting a freshly made falafel sandwich (ta’amiya is what it was called where I grew up) and my mouth is watering!! 🤤🤤
Thx. I could eat Egyptian falafel every day!!! I love it when whole coriander and fennel seeds are added. That takes it up a notch imo.
Yes!!!! With the pickles!!! So excited to try this!
Best recipe and excellent explanation on TH-cam.
Thank you.
I've made my fair share of falafel and I'm glad to see that I'm not far off from your way of making them. However, I found that a meat grinder is the best tool for the right consistency of the batter but a food processor is a close second. I actually bought a meat grinder for making falafel but I have also ground some meat with it since (freshly ground meat makes a real difference in smashed burgers).
And I find adding some dill and mint to the batter is a good idea. It really takes them to the next level.
It's originally milled in a stoned grinder if I'm not mistaken. They make some modern ones for masa.
I’ve seen some home cooks use a meat grinder too.
Thanks for those amazing tricks that make your recipes so different and easy to master.
Thank you for sharing all these recipes. Funnily enough I made everything except the falafel as I had some chicken breast I needed to use up. The pittas were lovely and soft and easy to make! The salads were delicious and added that bit of oompf to the meal.
can you freeze the fired falafel and reheat in the air fryer or is it just better to freeze the batter
I feel like this falafel would be amazing dipped in that toum and chili sauce from another one of your videos. I might just have to make these.
we tried today and was tasty.i would say better than many restaurants.
Will try the for sure! Can I make them ahead and reheat them in the oven instead of the airfryer?
I use the Midde East mix and bake them. When I have the ability to deep fry again, I ill give yours a shot as I have yet to try a recipe of yours that was not delicious.
Just tried your recipe tonight. Made the pitas, the pickled red cabbage, the tahini sauce, and fried the falafels from the batch I mixed up yesterday. These were the BEST falafel sandwiches that I've had as far back as I can remember! Perhaps best ever! I'll make the Arabic salad and the spicy onions perhaps tomorrow! P.S. I was really afraid the batter would fall apart in the oil, but it didn't! Sitting in the fridge over night may have been the key. I am SO thankful I now have a go to falafel recipe!!!
hi, what is the temperature of the oven for pita bread?
Hello! Thank you for making these videos so good and well explained. I would like to know, please, what else do you recommend for falafel, whether to add baking soda or baking powder? Thank you
I’ve forgotten whether it’s soda or powder normally used. I’m surprised they didn’t use it. It makes it fluffier. I think it’s baking powder.
Shukran jazilan.
It's been a very long time since I made Falafel, my recipe was decent, but I'm definitely going to use some tips from this video and it'll certainly be improved!
I can taste this sandwich honestly. And it seems worth it to make your own pita. Thank you.
Thank you so much for all tips and tricks in this video it’s gonna be really helpful 😊
Holy moly
that your oven door retracts under the oven when opened is bonkers, also wonderful looking falafel ❤ wanna eat those 😊
Looks amazing. One question, for the cabbage, how common is it for people to have citric acid in their home? Lol. I've only seen it in my kids chemistry sets.
You can buy it in Asian, Indian and Arabic grocery stores. I always have some in my spice cupboard because it's a good substitute for lemon and doesn't go bitter.
Just my own personal experience with (frequently) making pita & getting a good puff; get the rack they're being baked on as close to the top of the oven as possible. At least for me, improved my success rate of them fully puffing up
Thank you for teaching me how to make one of my favorite foods.
I found some split desi chickpeas in the Indian section. I like spicy though I doubt it adds that much but would it change the consistency? Since they’re already smaller?
Hi Middle Eats. There's a recipe i have been trying to find online for something i tried in egypt 5yrs ago and i dont know what it's called but i crave it so much. I hope you can help.
It's a sandwich using pita and the filling is a really tangy tomato and aubergine filling, i think it was a breakfast sandwich but i can't find it anywhere. Help 😅
Sounds like a pita with a version of mesa’a’ah. I would google where you were at the time and browse local menus. Eggplant and tomato is common there.
Check out their Egyptian eggplant moussaka recipe, I think that might be what you’re looking for 😊
Yeah could be mesa'a'ah or Moussaka in English. We have a recipe for the Egyptian one, however it's with meat, you can just leave that out. Another thing we do is take small aubergines and pickle them with chilli, could be that!
@@hollydaugherty2620 I was in luxor, I don't remember having that in cairo.
@le2382 thank you 😊
This looks delicious 😍 what camera and lenses did you use? Love your content
A master class! Well done video.
I just polished off a bowl of homemade bean and bacon soup, and here I am thinking I might need to make the whole lot right now.
Is there some reason you don't add the seasoning to the frozen mixture?
Baking powder will create gasses. You can add other seasonings.
Which is better between this, and your previous Egyptian falafel in your opinion?
Way to put me on the spot 😄, now all the chickpea falafel countries are gonna hate me... I personally like the Egyptian one more, however it's not the falafel that everyone in the west knows. It has a fluffier texture inside and is lighter, but has less crunch.
I used the can and the falafel fell apart, I wish I had seen the video earlier.
But I am a good cook, I strained the crumbled chickpeas and was able to save that oil, I used the strained oily chickpeas for adding flavor to other foods.
Then, with the leftover mix, I cooked them on a cast iron pan and they came out pretty good
Can I also use cooked ones that I froze before?
Is it possible to make pseudo-falafel using other types of bean?
Is there something special about the starches (or whatever) in chickpeas? Are there food safety concerns? I’ve heard some types are dangerous if undercooked…
Great video btw. My falafel has always been hit-or-miss, so thank you for this.
You can use fava beans instead of chick peas. Use the type that have the skins taken off.
Nothing beats an authentic falafel sandwich… thanks for the amazing video
nice dolly pull shot on the finished product in the first 30 seconds. how many takes did you do before you nailed it?
My spouse is allergic to cayenne, cumin, and chilies. Is there a good substitute for these things or should I just omit them in this recipe? My spouse can have Kashmiri chili powder. Would that work?
What's the difference between Kashmiri chilli powder and cayenne or other chillies? Just use Kashmiri chilli powder I guess and leave out the cumin.
Chili powder and cayenne are both nightshades. My spouse can't have any nightshades without... Dying. Kashmiri chili powder isn't a nightshade, that I know of. If it is, my spouse isn't allergic to that one.
I'm mostly wondering if it would be worth it without cumin. Cumin is delicious.
@@happydillpickle
It definitely is the easiest and simplest falafel recipe that I've come across in a while.
Just one question tho, in your Middle eastern cooking, should we use roasted cumin and coriander or unroasted? What's the authenticity of this?
Thanks.
I loved how at the market in Amman they sold big batches of mini falafel in paper cones, a working class food, without the fancy sandwich 😃
soooo much good information in this one video!!
I love Falafel and try it everywhere I see it. But i truly think that Falafel from fava beans (Egyptian version) taste much better than with chickpeas (if done right)
I know it's not authentic but is there a way to cook them that doesn't involve deep frying? I can't have that much oil in a pan. Can they be cooked in an air frier/oven etc? Would love your thoughts.
I'm sure supermarket felafels are oven baked.
If you make the mixture using a tin instead of raw soaked chick peas, you can shallow fry them with minimal oil, like little round patties. I found that out by mistake years ago when I made the mistake of using tinned chick peas and they all fell apart in the deep oil and I had to shallow fry the rest. If you don't like deep fried foods, I think that's possibly the best way to do it.
Add fava beans to the chickpeas. Half and half or two thirds and one third. It will make it lighter and more crunchy
I would love to see you make Feteer meshaltet like the one you get at “wahet Omar” Alexandria road.
Big fan of your work and we ended up making shawarma for Christmas Eve and my family loved.
Cheers and hopefully you’ll see my message.
This rules! Thanks!!
There is nothing tops the taste of Egyptian Falafel❤
Good bliss you brother .
Love From KSA 🇸🇦
what shall be the temperature of the oven for making pita bread?
Happy NewYear 🎉
Obi your are a master 👌 that sandwich looks amazing i can tast it while fasting 😂. For me I prefer fava beans ones ,but i ll use your tips in my next batch .