Iraqi Falafel
Dry-measured chickpeas, parsley and coriander, soaked cold before frying.
35 min hands-on + 24 hr 15 min chilling · Total: 24 hr 50 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- 60 ml Fresh parsley, chopped
- Garlic cloves — 3
- 240 ml Whole dried chickpeas, measured before soaking
- 1 tbsp Ground coriander seed
- 0.5 tsp Baking soda
- 480 ml Vegetable oil, initial deep-frying allowance
- Salt, to taste
- Cold soaking and rinsing water, discarded
- Extra frying oil only if vessel depth requires it (optional)
- Samoon bread, optional separate accompaniment (optional)
- Prepared Amba, optional separate accompaniment (optional)
Instructions
Measure this recipe and prepare safely
For the base 2 servings of Iraqi Falafel, measure the ingredient list before starting. Cup = 240 ml, tbsp = 15 ml and tsp = 5 ml. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat food and refrigerate perishables until needed.
Soak dry-measured chickpeas cold
Measure 240 ml whole dried chickpeas before soaking. Cover generously with cold water for expansion and refrigerate at 4°C or colder for the supplied 24-hour soak. Do not substitute split or canned cooked chickpeas.
Soak dry-measured chickpeas cold: 86400 seconds
Drain and rinse thoroughly
Drain and discard soaking water, then rinse and drain well. The measured cup refers to dry beans, not a cup of the now swollen chickpeas.
Process to an even crumb
Process drained chickpeas with 60 ml parsley, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp ground coriander seed and salt. Check from about 3 minutes, scraping safely with the machine stopped, until fine crumbs hold together; do not make a watery puree.
Process to an even crumb: 180 seconds
Distribute the baking soda
Mix 0.5 tsp baking soda evenly into the falafel shortly before frying. No extra flour, onion, cumin or baking powder is part of this master.
Rest the mixture refrigerated
Rest covered in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Countertop holding is not needed to activate the baking soda. Keep waiting portions cold and do not taste the raw mixture.
Rest the mixture refrigerated: 900 seconds
Shape small consistent falafel
Shape small consistent pieces with a scoop or clean hands away from the stove. Do not force a fixed piece yield; small uniform pieces help avoid uneven centres compared with large dense balls.
Control the frying oil
Heat the initial 480 ml oil to about 175°C in a suitable deep heavy vessel with safe headroom. Half is 240 ml; fourfold 1920 ml, not 960 ml. Add the separately listed extra oil only if safe vessel depth requires it. Keep water and wet tools away.
Fry and check a centre
Deep-fry manageable uncrowded batches, checking from about 4 minutes; 4–5 minutes is an estimate. Adjust heat so a test piece has a tender fully cooked interior without hard raw chickpea centres, not merely a dark shell. Oil time or one centre-temperature reading does not validate every legume hazard.
Fry and check a centre: 240 seconds
Drain and serve
Lift out with a dry slotted utensil and drain on suitable paper or a rack. Serve hot; samoon and prepared Amba are optional separate listed accompaniments. Frying oil is a process allowance, not a promise that every ml is eaten. Serve immediately after the approximately 175°C frying stage.
Portion and store safely
Refrigerate promptly in shallow portions, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. Do not leave a deep pot to cool on the counter. This selected household limit is not a validated shelf life.
Tips
- Ingredient quantities scale exactly; instruction quantities describe the base 2-serving batch. Use equivalent vessels or manageable batches. Times remind you to check, not to ignore doneness.
Common mistakes
- Do not add ingredients from the previous scaffold or treat initial water, discarded process water and optional top-ups as one fixed consumed total.
Substitutions
- Only alternatives explicitly named in the ingredient list are included in this master.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly in shallow portions, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. Do not leave a deep pot to cool on the counter. This selected household limit is not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat appropriate leftovers at most once to 74°C throughout, then serve immediately. Rice must be cooled promptly and kept no longer than 24 hours; reheating does not rescue mishandled food.
About this recipe
Iraqi Falafel is presented here as an owner-supplied Iraqi household version. Specific ancient origins or universal regional claims have not been independently verified.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.