Homemade Eritrean Falafil Recipe
Learn how to make falafil, Eritrean style – from scratch
We learnt to make this delicious homemade falafil recipe during our recent Eritrean cooking class with Cultivating Community. For those that missed out on sampling the falafil in person, they are quite different to your Middle Eastern falafil. These are slightly crispier, and slightly nuttier with less of an overpowering herb flavour that you can get in Middle Eastern falafil.
They are great as a snack or starter, and in our case were part of an enormous Eritrean feast. I highly recommend serving the falafil with a side of homemade hummus or even serving the falafil with the humus drizzled on top. Give them a try and let us know how you go. Thank you to our wonderful cook Shadya for sharing her recipe!
Tip: Eat them with your hands!
JC xx
Our gorgeous and talented cook, Shadya with her homemade falafil. She has kindly and generously shared her recipe with us
Falafil (Ta-imty in Tigrinya (Eritrean Language))
1/2 kg of hardened/dried chickpeas
1/2 kg of dried peas
1/2 bunch of parsley, coriander and dill
2 red chillies
1 whole onion
1 whole garlic
Oil for frying
Spices: cumin (powdered), black pepper, salt
Soak the hardened chickpeas and dried peas separately in a bowl of water overnight
Sieve them and blend them together until they become fine in texture but retain a little crunch
Blend the spices and parsley, coriander and dill, chillies, onion and garlic in another blender until they become very fine
Mix with the blended chickpea and pea mix
Wet your hands and form falafil patties (palm size oval shape as per images); with the mixture and fry in oil until brown
Serve with homemade humus (for dipping) and enjoy this wonderful snack or starter
