Oven-Baked Falafel – Healthy and Crisp

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Soak the chickpeas 24 hours in plenty of cold water, drain, spread on a towel and dry well.

   ⚙ SoakingBowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 2
   Grind the chickpeas in a food processor with the parsley, cilantro, onion and garlic, in pulses, to an even, grainy mixture, not a paste.

   ⚙ Grinding in a Food ProcessorFood processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
3. 3
   Add the cumin, ground coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, baking soda and flour, mix and refrigerate 30 minutes.

   Refrigerator
4. 4
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOvenBaking panParchment paper

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
5. 5
   Form large walnut-size balls with wet hands.
6. 6
   Arrange the balls in a baking pan, without crowding, and drizzle the oil over them.

   Baking pan
7. 7
   Bake 25–30 minutes, until the balls are golden and firm. Turn them once halfway through baking.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 8
   Serve with pita, Israeli salad and tahini.