(Makes 16-20)
I’ve long been a fan of falafel because what’s not to love about a cheap and cheerful, super crispy store-cupboard creation that is a belly-filler and a perfect recipe to turn to during times like these. The truth is, most of us don’t have dried chickpeas at home, usually favouring the convenience and ease of tinned chickpeas instead. What I can tell you is that over the years, I have tried (several times) to fashion some sort of falafel using tinned chickpeas and, well, I can confirm that it is just not possible.
Many of you have been asking me for suggestions as to what to do with the humble and often misunderstood store cupboard ingredient that many of us, the yellow split pea. Persians use it in stews, soups, stuffed vine leave fillings and more, so we always have it in the cupboard but I wanted to share this recipe for you, because whilst it is never going to be better than the authentic falafel, we do need options right now and essentially it is simple enough to warrant being made at home and you can choose your own flavour additions and sauces to transform its simplicity into something a little more special to suit everyone at home. Whatever you do, bring out the sauce! Yogurts, bottled sauces, chutneys, chilli sauces, ketchup and brown sauce etc, because this humble staple is best when paired with other flavours. Crunchy exterior and soft interior are complimented beautifully by the ingredients you choose to pair them with.
Ingredients
200g dried yellow split peas, soaked for 6 hours in cold water, then drained
1 egg
2 tablespoons of plain flour (or any flour you have)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely grated
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Additional Ingredients I’ve Used
1 heaped teaspoon of dried parsley
Additional Ingredient Suggestions
Dried spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli flakes and other dried herbs like mint, oregano, thyme or blends like Za’atar or even finely chopped fresh herbs
Method
Bring a small saucepan (which will mean you use less oil than a large one) filled with just over an inch of oil up to frying temperature.
In the meantime, once the split peas have drained and are as dry as possible, place them in a food processor and blitz as finely as possible. You want it resemble fine couscous and slightly mushy/pasty. Place the mixture into a bowl, add the flour, garlic, a generous amount of salt and pepper and your chosen herbs or spices and then crack the whole egg into the bowl and mix with a spoon until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.
Working quickly, use your hands to roll approximately 16-20 balls (18 is the dream), or as best you can and once the oil is hot (the ball must immediately sizzle when you add it into the oil) fry half the batch at a time. Fry each ball for a couple of minutes on each side (they may brown at a different pace depending on your heat source at home, so focus on making them deeply golden brown on both sides). Drain using a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper before frying off the rest.
To serve
Wraps and pitta breads are ideal or you can make my super simple 3-Ingredient Flatbread to go with these falafels. Yogurt and chilli sauce are the perfect accompaniments as are tomatoes, onions, pickled cucumbers and chillies and some lettuce. If you’d like to make a Tahini sauce, just thin down 2-3 tablespoons of tahini with a generous amount (about 150ml) of luke warm water and juice of half a lemon, season well with salt and drizzle that onto the falafels, too.