Red Lentil Falafel

Serves 6-10

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils

3/4 cup roughly chopped white onion 

1 cup loosely packed parsley 

3-5 cloves garlic 

2 tsp. smoked paprika 

2 tsp. ground cumin 

1 tsp. ground coriander  

1 1/2 tsp. salt

Vegetable oil for frying 

  1. To soak the lentils, place them in a large bowl, and pour boiling water on top of them, until fully submerged by a couple of inches. Let soak for about 30 minutes, then drain, and dry off as much as possible before using*

  2. Place all falafel ingredients except for oil into a food processor, placing the drained lentils in last. Pulse until a rough, coarse meal forms. Scrape the sides of the processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides, and continue to process into a fine dough or paste. The mixture should be well blended. Form the mixture into flat, rightly packed patties, roughly 3 tablespoons each in size. 

  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until it’s around 350-375º F. Carefully place the patties into the oil, frying in batches, until the falafels are golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Tips

  • Be careful not to “cook” the lentils. It’s best to pour boiling water over them, as opposed to placing the lentils into the same pot that the water was boiling in to ensure an even soak.

  • Try and dry the lentils thoroughly with paper towels or a kitchen towel before adding them to the food processor. If you don’t the mixture can become too wet. You don’t need to go too crazy trying to dry them, just do the best you can.

    • If the falafel mixture is too wet, you can add a little bit of flour (any type) to dry it out a bit.

    • If the falafel mixture is too dry, add some water until it gets smoother and more moist.

    • Side note - it’s better to have the mixture slightly too moist vs too dry. I’ve fried up some pretty moist patties, and they generally turn out fine!

  • Make sure to thoroughly process, and tightly pack the falafels. If the mixture is too crumbly and textured, the falafels may have a tendency to fall apart a bit while frying.

  • Lentils can be substituted for other beans, but larger beans will need to be soaked for at least 8-12 hours

  • Spices can be adjusted or substituted with dried herbs or other spice blends

  • Fresh parsley can be substituted with 1-2 tsp of dried parsley

Ben Mastracco