Do I remember the first time that I had Falafel? Sure, but can I honestly say that I knew what was in it? No. First, there was a part of me that thought there was meat in it. Rob, his mom, dad and I were at this fantastic Greek restaurant in Vancouver that right now for the love of me cannot think of the name even though more then a few meals have been had there. So as we are ordering a few items to go we though “Hmm, that falafel thing sounds good lets order one.” Well as we all had a bite it was this sorta consensus of “What is this” and Rob and his Dad going “Is there no meat in this thing?” No, there is defiantly no meat in it but you wont miss it.

So, last year Rob and I were in Koh Phi Phi and had sat down at this little Mediterranean place for a bite to eat. We had both ordered the Falafel as a nice little vegetarian break. I have has great falafels before but I have also had so-so ones. Needless to say, this one was awful. We were headed to the beach but after eating we felt like there was this lump of coal in our stomach and all we wanted to do was lay down. They were so heavy. Fast forward 9 months when back home and all I wanted was Falafel.

Do you ever wonder why someone makes a certain meal that day or why that certain blog post is there? Well this blog post came from a horrible meal I had almost a year ago! I wanted to make such a delicious Falafel because I had one that was so bad. If only past me knew the fabulous creation that would come out of it

Here are some tips for making the PERFECT Falafel at home (And avoiding a bad one)

Do’s:

1. The Oil. If you do not have the perfect frying temperature, even if your falafel has the best tasting base, it will fail. Too hot and it will be burnt on the outside and underwhelming on the inside. Too cold and you are going to have deep fried oil balls. Try not to use old oil either
2. Seasonings. The Falafel screams for bunches of herbs. Not just a few sprigs here and there but bunches.
3. Simplicity: Don’t over do it

Don’t Forget:

1. Sauce: Falafel’s need one and you will be silly to think otherwise. Try hummus, tzatziki or a tahini sauce
2. Bread and Salad: Opt for some pita bread and stuff it with a light cabbage slaw, tabbouleh, or small greek salad
3. Appetite: Bet you can’t have just one?
   

Another bonus about this recipe is that you can make the mixture a few days in advance and let it sit in the fridge so all you have to do is shape and fry them when ready. When they sit in the fridge they tend to get more moisture so you will have to add a little bit more flour to balance it out. Also, one of the most important things you need to do is get the moisture content correct. If its too wet, it will fall apart in the fryer, too dry and it will taste like lumps of coal. Fry one and test it out this way you can avoid ruining a whole batch.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go and make these already you can thank me later