The Falafel is a very tasty vegetarian dish, which is simple to make – but can be tricky to master.
Falafel is a deep-fried ball, or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, that most likely originated in Egypt. Falafels are high in protein, and can be either vegetarian or vegan.
While we love the protein-packed, super-savory chickpea balls, making them at home can often result in a hard, gut grenade type of texture. But one substitution can make a 
big difference, and is an ingenious solution: egg whites. By omitting the egg yolks, you end up with a super light fluffy falafel that makes it much more palatable. Of course, to make them vegan you’ll have to remove the egg entirely, but that also removes the fluff. The fresh herbs also turn the batter a beautiful green color and add even more nutrients.
- 1⅓ cups dried chickpeas
- ¼ cup water, plus plenty for soaking the chickpeas
- 1 quart lightly packed fresh parsley leaves (from about 2 bunches)
- ¼ yellow onion, chopped
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom pods
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 egg whites
- 2 to 3 quarts canola oil or avocado oil, for frying
- Put the chickpeas in a large bowl, and submerge in water. Soak overnight.
- In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the parsley a few times, until it’s roughly chopped. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add them along with the onion, lemon zest, ¼ cup water, flour, salt, baking powder, and spices. Process until the mixture is all the same color and starting to pull together.
- Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a whisk or mixer. Fold the whites into the chickpea mixture, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Clip a thermometer to the side of a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, and add enough canola oil to come about halfway up the sides of the pot. Bring to 350°F over medium-high heat. While it warms up, line a plate or cooling rack with paper towels.
- Working in batches of six to eight—just enough so they’ll have plenty of space in your pot—shape the dough into golf-ball-size pieces; it will be pretty loose but should still hold together. Use a slotted spoon to lower them carefully into the oil, one at a time, and fry each batch for about 4 minutes. After about 1 or 2 minutes, if they’re sticking to the bottom of the pan, nudge them loose with your spoon. These will look done before they’re completely cooked through, so be patient and let the crust become a very deep, burnished brown. Cut into one—it should be firm, the same consistency throughout.
- Once the falafels are cooked, keep them warm in the oven while you cook the rest. Serve warm on their own or with any of the suggestions mentioned in the headnote.
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