Falafel of baby broad beans, easy legume recipe with oriental flavor
Total: 25 min Diners: 4
Today, rare is the person in Spain who has not tasted or, at least, heard of falafel. A dish that always carries the surname “of chickpeas”. However, few people know, on the other hand, that it is one of the oldest recipes of humanity and that, in its origin (Ancient Egypt), it was made with the most typical legume of the country: broad beans. Yes, there is little time left to enter its season and, nowadays, it is one of the favorite Vegetable Recipes in Spain. They can be found fresh, frozen or canned, but what is clear is that, whatever the form of preparation, they are delicious.
Today it is very fashionable the typical Japanese edamame and, to record the excellent product of the country, our beans have nothing to envy. In our country they are usually eaten with artichokes, with mushrooms and egg or sautéed and with ham, but this time we are going to make a falafel of broad beans as the ancient Egyptians did.
The falafel is a starter that is not lacking in Arab cuisine restaurants, you can eat a very rich one for example in Barganzo, Fayer or La FalaferÃa and is that although it is a tremendously simple and quick dish to make often suffers from being dry and doughy. In reality it is enough to grind all the ingredients very well (with raw chickpeas or beans, beware), add spices to taste, make small balls and fry them in plenty of hot oil. The secret clearly lies in the balance of the ingredients.
They are prepared exactly as if they were chickpeas and, in addition, can be accompanied by a good yogurt sauce or that pita bread we made in just 10 minutes. Beans are a super food that has given and gives food for many years, mainly because it is very low in calories and very rich in nutrients.
As an accompaniment, falafel is usually served with a little yogurt sauce tzatziki style, also with tarator sauce, with a sesame tahini sauce or a spicy tomato sauce. Falafel is also very typical to see it as a filling for vegetarian kebabs, perfect to replace meat.
How to make baby bean falafel
Ingredients
. Fresh beans, peeled, 100 g Small garlic clove, 1 pc Shallot, 1 pc Cumin, 1 tsp Black pepper, 1 tsp Salt, c/s Coriander stalks with their leaves, 5 pc Parsley stalks with their leaves, 5 pc Olive oil for frying, abundant
Step 1
Peel the broad beans and reserve the pods (although we are not going to use them in this preparation it is convenient to reserve them because, cooking them with a little salt, they can be used to get a nice sauce). Peel the shallot and remove the garlic germ.
Step 2
Introduce all the ingredients in a food processor or blender along with the salt, cumin, coriander and parsley. Grind very well until a homogeneous and solid mass is obtained. If necessary, a teaspoon of water can be added, but be very careful because if it gets too wet, it can ruin the preparation. We could also add a tablespoon of bean or chickpea flour.
Step 3
Form balls with the dough and flatten them very slightly (this is to everyone’s taste). In fact, there is a tool that shapes the falafel in a very simple way.
Step 4
Place a pan with plenty of soft olive oil to heat. Fry the falafel when the oil is very hot. Remove to absorbent paper and serve with your favorite sauce or with a good pita bread.