How can you tell whether a falafel recipe is a good one? Two clues: 1) It begins by having you soak dried chickpeas; 2) It ends by having you dunk the falafel in hot oil, for honest-to-goodness frying.
We can look at this another way, from the negative side: Any recipe that calls for canned or even home-cooked beans should be tossed aside, because that will result in a mushy thing that’s about as far from falafel as, well, a bean dip is from a burger. And as much as the health-conscious might be tempted to bake rather than fry this Middle Eastern street food staple, that’s not a good way to go, either. No oven can give falafel the crisp exterior and fluffy interior that a bubbling pot of oil can. Besides, when the oil is maintained at the proper temperature and the falafel are properly drained, a whole serving — four to five balls — will absorb a mere teaspoon of it. Trust me, I measured.
There are some other tricks: For the best texture, the chickpea dough shouldn’t be too smooth, and it needs enough aromatic ingredients (parsley and garlic are standard) to give it a deep but still refreshing flavor. And, like it or not, falafel should be eaten as soon after frying as possible; that’s when they’re still a little moist inside.
I’m open to variations. Although chickpeas are the traditional legume of choice for falafel (and they’re my favorite), I’ve occasionally appreciated alternatives, particularly black beans.