Ingredients:

8oz dry chickpeas

8oz Egyptian Fava beans *(Day prior to cooking, soak chickpea, and fava bean overnight in the fridge)

1 small to medium yellow onion, diced

1oz chopped fresh parsley (about 1/8 cup)

1oz chopped cilantro (about 1/8 cup)

3-4 cloves garlic / or garlic powder to taste (however, fresh is always best)

1 1/2 tbsp flour

1 3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin (or 1tsp cumin seed)

1 tsp ground coriander (or 1/2 tsp coriander seed)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Pinch of ground cardamom

Pinch of lemon zest

Vegetable or Olive Oil

(Additional add-ins: take out fava, and soak 1lb of garbanzo beans then add chopped majool dates for sweeter falafel. If you're feeling spice crazy, tumeric and dill are also great herbal add-ins)

*using canned chickpeas will result in a different texture than the soaked chickpeas and the falafel patty will crumble when frying.

Mixing The Ingredients:

You'll add all your ingredients into a food processor. You'll want to let this mix for a few minutes to ensure the spices, onions and garlic are well blended. When done, you should have a grainy mixture just moist enough to stick together. You do not want runny or a wet looking mixture. Add flour little by little if your mixture is too wet, vice versa if the mixture is too dry add a little water.

Shaping the Falafel:

You will roll the mixture into the ball about the size of a walnut. You want them all to be uniform so they cook evenly. The ball should hold together nicely, and not fall apart, nor should it be wet enough that it sticks to your hands.

Cooking the Falafel:

You can do a deep fry, or a pan fry. Most people opt for the pan fry. You'll want a thick layer of oil coating the pan. Heat up the oil and cook a small test falafel to make sure the oil is hot enough. It should sizzle and bubble, after a couple minutes on one side, flip them over. You should be left with a nice golden brown on both sides.

Let them cool on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

Dressing the Falafel:

Serve with a plate of hummus and a creamy tahini sauce on the side. Or you can make your own stuffed pitas! Nothing beats a hot falafel with fresh tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, and a drizzle of tzatziki sauce.