Beer Falafel with Dunkel Lager
Tender and crispy beer falafel made from scratch, starting with dried chickpeas. An infusion of subtle toasted bread and malty flavors courtesy of Dunkel lager complements the nuttiness of the chickpeas and the pungency of the other ingredients. Overnight soaking for at least 12 hours required.
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Servings: 20 falafels
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas rinsed
- 12 oz Dunkel lager or an amber ale (use water if you'd rather not use beer)
- 1 medium onion rough chop
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- vegetable oil for frying
- your choice of accompanying vegetables/sides and pita bread
- yogurt dip or tahini sauce for dipping or drizzling over stuffed pita
Instructions
- Place the rinsed dried chickpeas in a bowl and pour the Dunkel lager over them. It should cover all the chickpeas. If not, add a little bit of water.
- Soak overnight or at least for 12 hours, refrigerated.
- Drain the chickpeas and place inside a steel blade food processor.
- Add the onion, garlic cloves, parsley and cilantro and the cumin, salt, pepper.
- Process to blend, do not allow the mixture to turn into puree. Ideally, you want small chunks, about the size of rice grains to be visible throughout.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and dust with the flour and baking powder. Using a fork mix to incorporate them into the chickpea mixture.
- The mixture should have a consistency that allows you to form small balls using your hands, just over the size of a walnut. You might need to add a little more flour to achieve a manageable texture, but first test the mixture you have with one ball.
- Heat up the vegetable oil to 375ºF. You must be careful to maintain the temperature at that level.
- Test with one falafel ball to be sure both chickpeas mixture and oil temperature like each other. Fry for just under 2 minutes. If the ball begins to fall apart in the oil, add more flour to the mixture. If not, go ahead and make more.
- Do not fry more than 5 balls at a time. Drain on paper towels before serving. Best eaten while still warm and crispy.
