Falafel/chick pea question

[Crosbie]

I'd appreciate any advice on the use of chick peas in falafel:

Most recipes I've searched through say to soak the chickpeas overnight and then put straight into a food processor etc. i.e. without boiling first.

A very few recipes instruct to boil the chick peas - 1-2 hours - after soaking overnight.

This is quite a bit of a variation isn't it??

Has anyone on here made them?

Regards
Crosbie

[zazen999]

Chickpeas after soaking definitely need boiling.

I'm a huge felafel fan; and definitely soaked then boiled until the chickpea would squish under a fork; before processing/mashing. The only thing I can think of is that the final cooking time of the unboiled ones might be longer?

[annacruachan]

I'm with Zazen. There could be nasty consequences to eating uncooked chickpeas. Not worth the risk.

[COMPOST CORNER]

the best advice I was given from the Asian ladies I work with when I asked for advice about cooking with chick peas was "Use the tinned ones, it's not worth the hassle of preparing them yourself"

[Crosbie]

Thanks Zazen, annacruachan and Compost...

I went and boiled them for 45 mins just for good measure - after soaking for 9hours - and in retrospect I think they could've even done with a bit longer. I still don't understand why most falafel recipes preclude boiling them first.

I made some with tinned chick peas too - texture was more dense, more manageable.

Crosbie

[zazen999]

I also use tinned chickpeas; too much faff soaking and boiling as they can still be bullets after being on the hob for hours.

[Don Vincenzo]

I also use tinned chickpeas; too much faff soaking and boiling as they can still be bullets after being on the hob for hours.

Perhaps chickpea flour can be used instead, known as Gram flour which can be bought at your main supermaket. For a basic recepie, in a thick bottomed pan whisk 75 grs of gram flour in half litre of cold water till froth, add salt and pepper to taste. (Have some finely chopped parsley at hand). Keeping whisking, gently bring to the boil the mixture, suddently will thicken up, remove from heat, add the parsley and continue cooking for a further one / two minutes. Using a palette knifes spread the mixture in a lightly oiled shallow container. Let to cool in order to solidify. Cut and fry both sides in olive oil till golden. Serve hot. Any other spices can be added to taste. Very easy to make.
Regards
Don Vincenzo

[zazen999]

Perhaps chickpea flour can be used instead, known as Gram flour which can be bought at your main supermaket. For a basic recepie, in a thick bottomed pan whisk 75 grs of gram flour in half litre of cold water till froth, add salt and pepper to taste. (Have some finely chopped parsley at hand). Keeping whisking, gently bring to the boil the mixture, suddently will thicken up, remove from heat, add the parsley and continue cooking for a further one / two minutes. Using a palette knifes spread the mixture in a lightly oiled shallow container. Let to cool in order to solidify. Cut and fry both sides in olive oil till golden. Serve hot. Any other spices can be added to taste. Very easy to make.
Regards
Don Vincenzo

Nah, I like the chunky texture - I save my gram flour for bhajees.

[annacruachan]

I always pressure cook any beans of the dried kind after soaking. This only takes 20 mins after bringing the pan to pressure, so it saves a lot of fuel. If you forget to soak them in cold water overnight you can use boiling water and leave them for an hour, then cook.

[Crosbie]

Useful tip, thanks.

Never thought I could get so nervous about chick peas...

One thing I just can't fathom...why does my falafel disintegrate after a few minutes in the frying pan? I've used boiled and tinned chick peas, put in the food processor - no binding - just parsley, salt, cumin and a touch of baking powder. Texture is nice & maleable. Then shallow fry in olive oil. Everything is fine and then hey presto, it disintegrates. Can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong - this has got me stumped.

Cheers
Crosbie

[zazen999]

Useful tip, thanks.

Never thought I could get so nervous about chick peas...

One thing I just can't fathom...why does my falafel disintegrate after a few minutes in the frying pan? I've used boiled and tinned chick peas, put in the food processor - no binding - just parsley, salt, cumin and a touch of baking powder. Texture is nice & maleable. Then shallow fry in olive oil. Everything is fine and then hey presto, it disintegrates. Can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong - this has got me stumped.

Cheers
Crosbie

Gram flour is what you are missing [in my humble opinion]

[Two_Sheds]

why does my falafel disintegrate after a few minutes in the frying pan?

as Zaz says, you need a binding. Add about 2tbsp flour, but add a little at time. Egg is also good as a binder

[Willonthewall]

Unlike many other bean patties, in falafel, the beans are not cooked prior to use. Instead they are soaked with bicarbonate of soda, then ground with the addition of a small quantity of onion, parsley, and spices such as cumin and coriander. The mixture is shaped into balls or patties, then deep fried. Sesame seeds are sometimes added before frying; this is particularly common when falafel is served as a dish on its own rather than as a sandwich filling.

So says Wikipedia.

All hail Wikipedia.

Please don't shoot the messenger

[Crosbie]

Gram flour it is then! Will give it a go. Thanks.

Interesting bit on the Wikipedia ref. (i.e. chick-peas are not pre-cooked for falafel). Maybe the answer lies therein. Willonthewall, thanks for the info.

Cheers
Crosbie