Vegan Falafel! Yes Please!

Fa Fa Falafel! This #LunchBreakLIVE episode features delicious, plant-based, homemade, fresh falafels made by Chef Amin Musa, owner of Pure Food Organic Kitchen.  After years of wildly successful pop-ups at Farmer’s Markets and VegFests, Amin Musa is set to open a brick and mortar restaurant in the heart of Santa Monica! He is in the final fundraising stage. Check out the possibilities below. Every donation comes with a perk, from steep discounts to a party invite! The lovely Vanessa Marsot, pole dancer extraordinaire and creator of Ellora Wellness, joins the fun as today’s taste-tester! Check out Happy Cow to find the growing number of plant-based venues in Santa Monica! Use the Happy Cow Phone App to find healthy, compassionate restaurants the world over!

 

Pure Food Organic Kitchen has an amazing founder.  His dedication and drive for a healthier, more compassionate world is super inspiring.  Here is a bit more about Chef Amin Musa from his website:

“Pure Food Organic Kitchen has emerged in December of 2018 as a natural transformation of a humble beginning called “Ihsan’s Falafel” which had started back in December of 2013.  Ihsan’s Falafel was founded by Chef Amin Musa, who is trained in macrobiotic cooking and health counseling. Amin learned how to make falafels from his mother, Ihsan, and started sharing them with his friends here in the U.S. Almost every time people were telling Amin that his mother’s falafels were the best they have ever had. These repeated compliments sparked the original inspiration for Pure Food Organic Kitchen as a brick and motor take-out restaurant.

After 5 years of sharing Ihsan’s Falafels at different farmers markets and festivals throughout Los Angles, we are truly realizing the magic and joy of inspiring a love for plant-based foods through excellent customer service, top-quality ingredients, and perfect seasoning.

The large community of friends and customers that have supported us in the past years are the reason why Pure Food Organic Kitchen has become a reality. Pure Food is now making it possible for us to provide daily access to our falafels as well as more plant-based food options on the menu while continuing our original legacy of friendly service and delicious food.”

 

 

If you want to support Pure Food Organic Kitchen you can donate to their GOFUNDME campaign, to help complete their Santa Monica location!   There are lots of fun incentives if you choose to contribute!

 

 

Now let’s check out the delicious food that Chef Amin and Vanessa made on this episode of #LunchBreakLIVE!  I don’t know about you, but Falafels are one of my all-time favorite foods!  

 

 

 

 

 

THE RECIPE

 

Falafel Recipe (Serves 6 people, makes 30 pieces)

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans – you must start with dry, do NOT substitute canned, they will NOT come out crispy on the outside.
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cups fresh herbs of your choice (cilantro, parsley, mint, dill are commonly used). You may use only one or all of these herbs at once if you wish.
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 teaspoons spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, or cayenne or any spice of your choice)
• 1-4 cups vegetable oil for frying (safflower, grapeseed, sunflower, avocado, and peanut oils all work well).
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

1. Pour dry chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight. They will double in size as they soak and you will have about  6 cups of beans after soaking.
2. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans well. Pour them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, herbs, salt, black pepper, and other spices.
3. Process till the mixture has the texture of a paste. You want the mixture to hold together, and a more paste-like consistency will help with that.
4. Pour falafel mix into a bowl and mix well.
5. Add baking powder to the falafel mix and use your hands or a spoon to mix well.
6. Fill a frying pan or skillet with the vegetable oil. You need at least 1 oe 2 inches depth of oil in order to get crispy falafels. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. The ideal temperature to fry falafel is between 360 and 375 degrees F; the best way to monitor the temperature is to use a deep-fry thermometer. After making these a few times, you will start to get a feel for when the oil temperature is “right.”
7. Form the falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties. Press the balls in between your two hands well enough to create a firm shape. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference. Keep in mind that the bigger and rounder they are, the longer it will take for them to cook through in the middle.
8. The balls will be delicate at first; but if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won’t hold together, you can try adding a small amount of regular flour or chickpea flour to the mixture.
9. To check if the oil is the right temperature and ready for frying, throw a small test-falafel in the oil. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. 
10. fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time depending on the size of your frying pan. Don’t overcrowd your fryer with falafels as that will cause the oil temperature to drop too much and your falafels will not turn our crispy.
11. Fry the falafels until golden brown on each side. If the oil is not deep enough to cover the top of the falafels, you will need to turn them.
12. Once the falafels are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon.
13. Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels hot on a bed of fresh salad greens topped with the famous tahini sauce or our special Sudanese peanut sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita with your choice of toppings.

Tahini sauce (makes 2 cups of sauce)

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1  cup well-stirred Tahini or sesame paste  (ground sesame seeds)
   • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
   • 1/2  cup water.
   • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
   • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

PREPARATION

1. • Whisk all ingredients together very well. You may add more or less water depending on how thick or thin you’d like your sauce to be. I like mine to be more on the thicker side.

Happy Dipping!

Sudanese Spicy Peanut sauce (makes 2 cups of sauce)

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1  cup well-stirred peanut butter
   • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
   • A few jalapenos depending on how spicy you want your sauce to be.
   • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
   • 1/2  cup water
   • 2 cloves garlic
   • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

PREPARATION

1. • In a food processor or blender, add all ingredients and blend well. You may add more or less water depending on how thick or thin you’d like your sauce to be. I like mine more on the thicker side.

Happy Dipping!

 

 

photo contribution:  Paige Parsons-Roache @veganramamama1