Fava Bean Falafel
Serves 4
For the falafel:
- 2 – 2 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans in their pods, or about 1 cup frozen fava beans
- 1 cup canned cooked chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 of a large yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Canola oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 8 mint leaves, chopped
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
- 4 pita pocket
- 1 Cucumber, sliced thin
- Arugula or spinach
- Thinly sliced onion
Cook fava beans:
– If starting with fresh fava beans, remove beans from pod. Fill a medium sized bowl with ice water and set aside. Next, bring a medium sized pot of water to boil. Drop beans in and cook for 30 seconds. Drain water and transfer beans immediately to ice water to cool. After about 5 minutes, remove beans from ice water and peel the outer waxy layer, so the bright green fava bean is revealed. Measure out 1 cup of beans.
– If starting with frozen fava beans, simply defrost.
To make the falafel:
– Add 1 cup of fava beans, chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt, and cumin to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
– Using your hands, roll mixture into balls, about two tablespoons each, until it is used up (makes about 12 falafels).
– Fill a heavy bottomed pot with about 3 inches of canola oil. Heat the oil until its 375F (candy thermometer comes in handy here). Drop falafel, 2-3 at a time, into the oil and fry until it turns a nice brown color on the outside, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the falafel to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all falafel are cooked.
To make the sauce:
– In a medium sized bowl, mix together yogurt, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
To assemble:
– Stuff pita pockets with falafel, cucumbers, onions, greens, and any other accoutrements you desire. Top with mint yogurt sauce.
– If you are not planning on eating them right away, let falafel cool and then store in an air tight container for up to a day in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature before serving.