Author Notes
A classic greek falafel made with fava beans instead of chickpeas turns out to be a successful alternative. —Vicky | Things I Made Today
Ingredients
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2 – 2½ pounds
Fresh fava beans in their pods, or about 1 cup frozen fava beans
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1 cup
Canned cooked chickpeas
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2 tablespoons
Fresh parsley
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2 tablespoons
Fresh cilantro
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2
Garlic cloves, chopped
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¼
Large yellow onion, chopped
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1/2 teaspoon
Kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon
Ground cumin
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Canola oil for frying
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1 cup
Greek yogurt
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8
Mint leaves, chopped
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Juice of ½ lemon
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Salt and pepper to taste
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4
Pita pockets
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1
Cucumber, sliced thin
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Arugula or spinach
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Thinly sliced onion
Directions
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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.
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If starting with frozen fava beans, simply defrost.
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Add 1 cup of fava beans, chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt, and cumin to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
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Using your hands, roll mixture into balls, about two tablespoons each, until it is used up (makes about 12 falafels).
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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.
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In a medium sized bowl, mix together yogurt, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
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Stuff pita pockets with falafel, cucumbers, onions, greens, and any other accoutrements you desire. Top with mint yogurt sauce.
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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.
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