The luck I’ve been having in the kitchen lately, has not carried over into amazing photos, sadly. It’s difficult to take decent photos at 9:30pm (when we ate dinner the other night) with only low wattage bulbs for illumination. At least the food was amazing….Cornelius told me that we should eat this more often. I obliged since we had leftovers and we ate this meal twice in a row. I heard no complaints.
I love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food. This city has a couple really great restaurants, but when I can make my favorite dish at home, it’s even better. Now, I would love to tell you how I made my own falafels from scratch…not so. But I’m okay with that because I’m pretty satisfied with the ones I get from a mix. I’m not going to mess with a good–and totally easy thing.
The instructions below are less of a recipe and more of a general how-to. It’s a falafel plate, not an opera cake. And yes, I tackle “deep frying” for the first time. Actually, this isn’t really a deep fry, per se, but more of a shallow frying method. The falafels aren’t submerged into the oil, nor do they even float about, but I used more oil cooking these babies than I’ve ever used to cook anything. And trust me, it’s a good thing. I’ve baked falafels and cooked them using only a spoonful of oil but have never been truly satisfied with the results. Frying in oil is really the only way to make them jaw-droppingly good. Crispy, crunchy and light in texture, they aren’t greasy either–just make sure your oil is hot and you won’t go wrong.
falafel plate how-to
salad greens
grated carrot
diced purple onions
diced tomato, seeded
crumbled feta
a dill pickled, sliced thinly
sprinkle of sumac
hot sauce (optional or necessary, depending)falafels
1/2 box falafel mix
canola oil (lots but not too much)tahini-lemon-garlic sauce
2 heaping spoonfuls of tahini
3/4 c plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 small lemon
water1. Start by preparing falafel mix according to package directions. Let it sit for at least 1 hour. Shape into small patties. Set aside.
2. Make the sauce by combining tahini, yogurt, garlic and lemon juice together. Too thick? Add water to thin down sauce. Set aside.
3. Prepare vegetables. Wash, dry and tear lettuce if need be. Grate carrots. Chop tomatoes. Dice onion. Slice pickles. Have your feta crumbled and ready. Place ingredients in individual bowls.
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a heavy cast iron skillet or whatever pan you’ve got, heat up enough oil so that it freaks you out by just how much oil you used….I’d say about 1/2 inch deep. Let it get hot. Start by adding in the falafel patties and flip them when they get all crispy and brown. Place fried patties on baking sheet and put into oven so that the falafels stay hot while you prepare the rest of the batch.
5. Place lettuce on your plate. Sprinkle with grated carrot, tomatoes and onion. Place a few falafels on top and drizzle with tahini sauce. Add some more tomatoes, pickles and feta cheese and top the whole thing off with a sprinkle of sumac. Squirt on some hot sauce, if using. Dig in.
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How DO you get your pictures looking so great? My images are usually crappy and I end up taking around 5 or 6 photos before I find one that looks half decent. Any advice?
I really like Middle Eastern food too. I have a couple of cook books with recipes from the Middle East and I enjoy drooling over the images. I love how Iranian food includes pistachios and dates in the rice and grain (bulgur) dishes…mmm. I have not had a good falafel in ages. I used to make them often from a mix when I was a student because it was inexpensive…just add water and fry in oil. I usually just dipped the falafel in ketchup…but the tahini-lemon-garlic sauce sounds much better and I bet that it tastes better too.
Middle Eastern food is my favorite by far! It’s so simple and fresh and delicious. I feel lucky to have a “grandmother-in-law” that’s Lebanese!
Oh, and I’ve tried baking falafels and you are so right about it not being the same. Unfortunately, our entire apartment smells of fried for days if I try to fry anything–and I can never seem to get the temp right anyway. I’m sure yours were amazing!
I too love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food; and I ESPECIALLY love baked falafel :0) Love your plating idea!!
This is one of our favorite meals too (and I also use the shallow-fry method, and the mix–why not?). The only reason I don’t make it more often is that frying smell–it takes forever to dissipate.
this looks great! i’m definitely going to give it a try.
also, helpful advice for people who don’t want their homes to smell like fried food: if your bbq has an attached stove top, try frying outside in your backyard/patio. good luck!
Yum! It’s been too long since I’ve had a falafel. Thanks for sharing, it looks great.
Looks good! You should try making them from scratch next time. They are dead easy I just did it a few weeks ago.
this is something I used to make all the time (although my lazy ass went for the bake method). I forgot how much I loved this. Thanks for reminding me of a pretty, perfect meal. And your photos are just peachy by the way!
It’s just a lot of practice, bijoux! Plus good lighting helps…outside light is best!
Megan, we had our windows open and the fan above the stove going so there really wasn’t a detectable fry odour. Thank goodness.
I should have figured you’d like a baked falafel, veggiegirl 😉
Absolutely, Maven, why not?
Persian Tea, great tip!
Sara, get yourself to a falafel plate, stat!
I know, I know…one day, katerina!
eb, it is a pretty perfect meal. And thanks for the good words about my photos 🙂
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
That looks awesome! Yum …
thanks wheeler.
bellcurves, i had no idea 😉 falafel, i agree, is awesome.
Ooo I love falafel!! This looks like the perfect meal. What are your favourite Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants? I’ve yet to come across good falafel except at a Greek restaurant in Victoria.
eatme, go to nuba! they have the BEST falafels in vancouver. there’s one on west hastings across from dressew and one on davie street too. yum!!
You’re right I didn’t check back at your blog yet so thanks for leaving it on mine. 🙂 I just checked out the nuba menu – yum!! There’s so much stuff that looks good. Definitely going to go there soon, thanks! I think I want to get the falafel plate but there are so many choices! And so many vegetarian choices too yaey.
i love falafel, but i haven’t tried yet to make them at home. you make it sound so easy!
eatme, yup, nuba is the bomb.
cinderelly, this is so easy and tasty.
Ok, it’s official. I love your site. I make falafels this way too. Sometimes we eat them on pitas with cucumber, red onion, lettuce, etc. The dressing we use is low-fat mayo with some adobo sauce mixed in (and maybe a chipotle chopped up – depending on how hot you like it). Next time I’m going to try your dressing.