If you’re a fan of falafel or even if you’ve never had it, you are going to love these Homemade Falafel. This is an extremely nostalgic meal for my family, having eaten our fair share of the tasty fried chickpea balls growing up. We used to typically get falafel wraps from Zankou Chicken, often enough that for a while, I didn’t know they were supposed to be known for their chicken, despite their name. On more rare occasions, we would get some from the best falafel place around, Falafel Arax in Hollywood. We would order a big batch to-go and take them to Griffith Park for a nice Sunday family picnic. 🧺
As the years went by, we enjoyed falafel wraps less frequently but still reminisce about them fondly often. It got to the point I missed them so much that I decided I had to make them myself at home. And boy, were we all glad I took on this challenge. Homemade falafel are incredibly delicious and actually easy to make. All the ingredients that go into them are readily-accessible, especially in an Armenian/Middle-Eastern household, and make the final product even more flavorful than any I’ve had from a restaurant or falafel stand. Start with dried chickpeas you soak overnight. Then process them to a crumbly texture along with fresh parsley, cilantro, mint 🌿 and a handful of spices. You can easily add more or less of any of the herbs or aromatics to suit preference, and they will still be just as tasty. Scoop the mixture into balls and drop them into a pot of hot avocado oil until they crisp up to a deep golden brown. They will be perfectly crunchy on the outside and firm, fluffy, and tender on the inside, bursting with signature Middle-Eastern flavors. 🧆
You can choose to eat these fried bean balls as a nice filling snack on their own, on top of a salad, or in a pita wrap 🥙 (essentially crafting this EXACT emoji) , but you kind of HAVE to pair it with two things. Number 1 is the tahini sauce, of course. It’s a creamy, dreamy sauce that’s light and nutty and lemony–the ideal complement to the warm, savory profile of the falafel. Drench 🚿 the falafel in as much of this sauce as you want, because it does an amazing job of soaking into the fried shell and enhancing the herby flavors. You could drink this stuff up. Number 2 are the pickled turnips 💯. These are absolutely synonymous with falafel; just seeing their eye-catching vibrant fuschia hue makes me salivate and immediately crave the little chickpeas fritters. I might even love falafel that much more because it would guarantee I’d get a side of these pickles on the side every time.
Once you’ve got the perfect homemade falafel and the necessary side components, have fun with making wraps, pita pockets, or creative salads to feature them in. Any way you decide to enjoy them, they make for a fun and delicious protein option that will satisfy everyone.
