Traditional Falafel Recipe | Healthy Recipe

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or a flat shaped patty made from ground chickpeas, herbs, onion and spices.

Ultra crispy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside, everybody loves them. The best part is breaking open the golden brown balls to reveal the dazzling green insides!

INGREDIENTS:

• 450 g dried chickpeas
• cold water for soaking
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves or parsley
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1-1/2 tbsp plain flour or gram/chickpea flour
• 2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/3 cup water
• oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight or for at least 24 hours. They will double in size as they soak.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas/garbanzo beans well.

In a food processor add in all the ingredients except the water. (Add chickpeas, coriander leaves, red onion, flour, red chilli powder, salt, cumin powder, coriander seeds and black pepper).

NOTE: if you have a smaller food processor, you will want to divide the ingredients in half and process the mixture one batch at a time.

Pulse all ingredients together until a coarse meal forms. Add 1/3 cup of water and blend well. Periodically scrape the sides of the processor and push the mixture down the sides.

NOTE: adding a bit of water will prevent the falafel from turning hard after frying.

Process till the mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and a paste. Don't over process as you don't want it turning into hummus!

The mixture should hold up it's shape.

Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Form falafel mixture into round balls or patties shape using wet hands or a falafel scoop. I usually use about 1 tbsp of mixture per falafel. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference. The balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry.

Fill a skillet with vegetable oil. Use enough oil for deep frying.

Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Once hot fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on both sides.

If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again.

Once fried let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot; you can serve them with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita.

NOTES:
If the balls won't hold together, place the mixture back in the processor again and continue processing to make it more paste-like. Keep in mind that the balls will be delicate at first; if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won't hold together, you can try adding 2-3 tbsp of flour or chickpea flour to the mixture.

If your falafel is too hard/too crunchy on the outside, there are three possible reasons:

1) you didn't process the mixture enough, return the chickpea mixture to the processor to make it more paste-like. 

2) the chickpeas you used were old. Try buying a fresher batch of dried chickpeas next time.

3) You didn't add water.

4 Flavours Bubble Tea (Original, Matcha, Raspberry, Lychee)

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If you haven't tried a boba tea, you've been missing out. This bubble tea is originally from Taiwan, but has seen success in the global market and is now popular in many countries, and the UK is no exception.

There are so many flavours to try, and whenever I go to Manchester city centre I never miss the chance to buy a refreshing bubble tea drink. To be honest I've been obsessed with these delicious milky, tea drinks which drove me to make one at home. I actually went a bit overboard and ended up making 4 different flavours (Original, Matcha, Raspberry, Lychee). Making these bubble drinks were so fun and I can't wait for my readers to try these out and enjoy them at home!

Bubble Tea Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

To make Tapioca Pearls:

• 1 cup black tapioca pearls
• 4 cups water for boiling
• 4 tbsp brown sugar

Original Boba Milk Tea

• 3-4 tbsp tapioca pearls
• 250 ml chilled black tea
• 2 tsp sweetened condensed milk
• 125 ml soy milk
• ice cubes as needed

Matcha Boba Milk Tea

• 3-4 tbsp tapioca pearls
• 250 ml chilled green tea
• 2 tsp sweetened condensed milk
• 125 ml soy milk
• ice cubes as needed

Raspberry Boba Milk Tea

• 3-4 tbsp tapioca pearls
• 250 ml chilled raspberry tea
• 2 tsp sweetened condensed milk
• 125 ml soy milk
• ice cubes as needed

Lychee/Arbutus Boba Ice Tea

• 3-4 tbsp tapioca pearls
• 250 ml lychee/arbutus light syrup
• 2 tsp sugar syrup
• 125 ml black tea
• ice cubes as needed

DIRECTIONS - STEP BY STEP:

- TAPIOCA PEARLS

In a pot add water and pour tapioca pearls. Boil for 5-6 minutes. Lower the heat half way though the cooking process. You'll know they're done when the pearls start floating and rise on the top of the water.

Check the tapioca, they should be chewy and gummy. If still hard in the middle cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Once done. Scoop the tapioca and transfer in a bowl.

Add brown sugar to give sweetness to the tapioca pearls. You can use any other sugar substitute of your liking such as honey, syrups etc. 

Mix well until sugar is melted, you should have a syrupy consistency. Set aside at room temperature.

TEA PREPARATION:

1. Brew some traditional black tea 
2. Brew a good quality green tea
3. Brew a some raspberry tea

Let the tea rest in the hot water for at least 5-6 minutes to get a more concentrated tea as this will be diluted with milk afterwards. Let cool completely before using.