Crispy baked falafel

Baked crispy falafel, crispy and delicious chickpea patties, rich in spices and flavors.

Falafel was among the first vegan meals I tasted and I was surprised at how delicious and nutritious it can be. Serve this crispy baked falafel in a bowl with mashed potatoes, or add in a wrap with sauces and fresh salads.

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Portions: 15 patties

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 130 g dry chickpeas

• 1 chopped yellow onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 2 bunches parsley

• juice of half a lemon

• 1 teaspoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cilantro

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

1. Once you've prepared the chickpeas and soaked them overnight, the rest of the recipe is very easy.

2. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

3. Put everything in a food processor, and blend until all the ingredients are combined, but without making a puree.

4. I used an ice cream scoop, put 2 scoops per patties and formed them gently by hand. They came out around 15 pieces.

5. Brush all the patties with oil and place them in the pan, then add them to the oven, bake them for 15 minutes. Turn them on the other side and leave them in the oven until they are crispy and browned, about another 12 minutes.

6. You can serve them in a wrap with different sauces, and salads or in a bowl with mashed potatoes and cabbage salad.

Cooking tips!

• Use only dry chickpeas. The perfect recipe for a good, crispy and soft falafel is dried chickpeas, left to soak overnight. If you use cooked chickpeas, the patties will be too soft and moisty.
  

• Brush the falafel with enough oil before baking. Generally falafel is cooked in an oil bath, but because I wanted to make a healthier version in the oven, I used less oil. But even so, I used a generous amount of oil on both sides of the meatballs, they will come out more crispy and roasted.
  

• Do not squeeze the meatballs too tightly in your hand. We have a habit of squeezing the mixture too hard, the patties will end up being too dense and compact. Try to form the falafel easily, if it doesn't bind too well, you can add a little flour.