Homemade Falafel

In a large bowl, add the dried chickpeas and split fava beans, cover completely with cool water and leave to soak for at least 12 hours, up to 24 as a max. They should plump up to almost twice their size. Drain and rinse.

Trim and chop the onion into quarters. Trim the spring onion, and chop into thirds. Trim and peel the garlic. Trim the chilli and roughly chop the herbs.

Add the chickpeas and fava beans into a food processor and pulse until the mixture breaks down into a finely ground crumb – do this in batches to not overcrowd the processor. Then, tip into a large bowl.

Add the onion, garlic, chilli, herbs and ground cumin into the food processor and pulse until almost puréed, it should be very finely chopped with no large chunks. Add this into the bowl with the chickpea and fava beans. Stir the olive oil in, and mix thoroughly.

Stir through the baking powder, 1 tbsp of salt and sesame seeds. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 mins, up to 1 day – this will help the dough firm up and make it easier to shape. Once cold, scoop 2 tbsp of the falafel mixture (if you want large falafels use more mixture) and shape into balls, don’t compact them too much. Place on a baking tray, continue shaping until no mixture remains.

Once you’re ready to fry, fill a medium saucepan with the sunflower/vegetable oil. The amount of oil should not be more than ¾ of the capacity of your saucepan. Place on high heat and heat up to 180°C. Test the oil to see if it’s ready by putting a wooden chopstick into the oil, it should bubble but not aggressively.

Once hot, fry the falafel in batches of 4-6 at a time, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 5-6 mins. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, transfer the cooked falafels onto a kitchen paper lined plate or tray. Continue frying until all the falafels are cooked. Enjoy the falafels as a wrap or as a side, while still crispy and hot.