Crispy Falafel -- For Joseph and the Fleet, and Every Table That Holds the People You Love

The state fair in Palmer. The giant cabbages, the deep-fried everything. I went on Saturday with Angela and James and Mia. We ate fried Oreos and fried pickles. Mia rode a small carousel three times and screamed when we tried to take her off. The fair is the last bright public event before the dark.

I bought a normal cabbage — six pounds — and made lumpia filling and pancit and a slaw and there was still half left. I gave the half to Pete. He texted me a photo of cabbage rolls he attempted. They looked structurally questionable. He captioned the photo: "Filipino-Polish fusion. Patent pending." I laughed in the parking lot of the hospital for a full minute and got a strange look from a man pushing a cart.

The blog post this week was about the fair, about cabbages, about the way Alaska's summer light makes vegetables impossibly large. I included a recipe for ginisang repolyo — sautéed cabbage with shrimp paste and tomato. The post got eight hundred comments. Cabbage is a unifier.

Joseph came up from Kodiak Friday for a long weekend. He stayed at Lourdes's. He ate his weight in lechon kawali. He told me on the porch Saturday night, beer in hand, that he had been thinking about saving for a second boat. "Why," I said. "I want a fleet." He said it embarrassed, like he was naming a thing too big to name. I said, "Then save for a fleet." He said, "Ate. The fleet." I said, "The fleet is the fleet, Joseph. You can want it." He looked at me. He nodded. He drank his beer. The naming was the permission. The permission was the older sister's job.

Joseph went back to Kodiak on Monday, and the porch felt quieter than it had in months — but the good kind of quiet, the kind that comes after something real gets said. I wasn’t ready to let the weekend go, so I made something that required attention and heat: crispy falafel, golden all the way around, the kind that shatters just slightly when you bite in. It reminded me of lechon kawali in the way that really good fried food always does — the crust is the whole point, the crust is the promise. I made a big batch and ate half of them standing at the stove, which felt exactly right.

Crispy Falafel

Prep Time: 20 min (plus overnight soak) | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min active | Servings: 4 (about 16 falafel)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water (do not use canned)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or chickpea flour for gluten-free)
• Neutral oil for frying (vegetable or canola), about 2 cups

Instructions

1. Soak the chickpeas. Place dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 3 inches of cold water. Soak for 12—24 hours. Drain and pat dry thoroughly. Do not skip this step — canned chickpeas will make the falafel fall apart.
2. Make the falafel mixture. Add the drained chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground and resembles coarse, slightly chunky crumbs — not a smooth paste. You want texture. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add binders and chill. Stir in the baking powder and flour until evenly combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight). This helps the falafel hold their shape when frying.
4. Form the falafel. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion the mixture and roll into balls or press into small patties, about 1 1/2 inches across. If the mixture crumbles, add flour one teaspoon at a time.
5. Heat the oil. Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high until it reaches 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small piece of the mixture in — it should sizzle and rise immediately.
6. Fry in batches. Carefully lower 4—5 falafel into the hot oil at a time, avoiding crowding. Fry for 3—4 minutes per side, turning once, until deeply golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Season immediately with a pinch of salt.
7. Serve. Serve hot with warm pita, sliced cucumber and tomato, pickled red onion, and tahini sauce or hummus. Falafel are best eaten fresh but can be reheated in a 375°F oven for 8 minutes to restore crispiness.

Nutrition (per serving, about 4 falafel)

Calories: 280 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 420mg