1 lb. dried chickpeas
1 large onion
2 t salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t dried hot chili
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 t baking powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup flour
Soak the chickpeas overnight, drain, rinse, and add them to a food processor outfitted with a blade. Roughly chop the onion and add it along with the salt, cumin, black pepper, dried hot chili, and garlic. Pulse a few times to blend it, the mixture should still be coarse.
Add the baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour and pulse it a few times, then check the consistency. It should be dough-like. If it's too wet, gradually add the second 1/4 cup of flour until it dries out a bit, you might even need a bit more to get the right texture. How long the chickpeas soaked are a variable here, so there's some intuition involved.
Chill the dough for at least a couple of hours, then form it into patties and fry it. I've stopped deep frying and now I just pan fry it in a bit of oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes on each side, until it's a nice golden brown. If it's a fresh batch, I usually stick the patties in the freezer while I'm chopping veggies and heating the oil, this seems to help keep them from falling apart. If I'm cooking frozen falafel, then I take it out of the freezer and let it sit out while I'm chopping and heating.
Next, I'll post my recipe for a spicy, sweet red sauce I like on them...
