Waffled falafel (and the secret to perfect hummus)

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"Are you going to do —"

Yes.

"Oh my god you should totally do —"

I will.

"I had this great idea for —"

Thank you.

Waffled falafel is everyone's favorite idea. 

I can't take credit for it. Kathy from Stresscake (she of the waffled aloo parantha) was the first to suggest it to me — but she had a leg up because she knew about the blog before it started. Everyone else wasn't far behind.

And I've heard from people whose relationship with waffled falafel goes way back.

The falafel I waffled came from a mix. There aren't very many things I'm content to make from a box. But falafel is one of them.

I served the waffled falafel with hummus and a small salad of tomato, cucumber and parsley.

Preparing the falafel came first. I added water to the mix, then let it sit for 30 minutes to fully hydrate.

After that, I sliced up the tomatoes, peeled and cut the cucumber, and chopped up the parsley.

Then came the hummus.

I almost hate to tell you this, because for some of you it will mean that you can never make adequate hummus the easy way.

You will insist on making great hummus the hard way.

What's the hard way?

You have to remove the outer skins from the cooked chickpeas.

There is a difficult hard way and then there are two easy hard ways.

The difficult hard way is to take the chickpeas one by one in your fingers, slip off the skin, toss the skin aside and reserve the skinless chickpea.

There are two easy hard ways.

If you are using canned chickpeas, fill a large bowl with water, dump the chickpeas into the bowl, and rub them gently to pop off as many skins as you can. It's somewhat haphazard, but as you go, you'll find that the skins float to the top, where they can be skimmed off, and you'll find fewer and fewer chickpeas with the skins still on. It's not necessary to get every last one off. It will take about 3 or 4 minutes to get 95% of them off, and another few minutes to go after the last 5%. I usually stop after the first 3 or 4 minutes.

If you are cooking your own chickpeas, "shock" them with cold water at the end of cooking. This should loosen the skins, though you may have to help some off, as above.

(If you have a food mill — I do, but I am in several respects atypical — it can be used to remove the skins.) 

Either way, why are you doing this?

Not because some idiot on the Internet told you to. Or not just because, at any rate.

Removing the skins from chickpeas is the secret to incomparably smooth hummus.

I make hummus in my food processor. (If you ever have to choose between a food processor and a stand mixer — whether out of counter space or budget constraints — go with the food processor.) 

It's crucial to first process the chickpeas without any additional ingredients, until they're ground as fine as possible. Only then do you add the lemon juice, olive oil, tahini (or peanut butter in a pinch), optional garlic, and seasoning, as called for in the recipe of your choice. (I eyeball everything and add cumin, but here's a recipe from Gourmet.)

While you're finishing up the hummus, waffle the falafel. It takes about 8 minutes.

I threw the pita bread in the waffle iron, too. It was ready in about 30 seconds. 

Warmed pita bread filled with waffled falafel, topped with dollops of perfectly creamy hummus and served with tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley.

I am glad so many people suggested waffled falafel.

Thank you.

Comments

[The Wind Attack]

Where's your falafel recipe?!?! How long did you waffle them for?!? Need details!!!

[Daniel]

My falafel recipe is conveniently located on the box of falafel mix. Sometimes it's on the side. Sometimes it's on the back. But it's there.

The answer to your second question is 577 words into the post. (I know; you got excited; it's OK.)

[Adric Menning]

Ive noted some modifications to the box mix I did whne i started making these.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/killbox/391738802/

nasically add some egg, and oil the iorn well, and cook them a little longer than standard waffles.

[Molly]

Oh, man this is AWESOME. The falafel, the hummus, the whole weird wonderful waffleizer idea. Love this, yes I do.

[s_m]

You should consider making waffle potato latkes for the passover holiday coming up for people of jewish descent. I imagine that potato latkes (basically just potato pancakes) could totally waffle.

[marti]

Dude, where's the Tzatziki?

I think I just like saying it: "Waffled falafel. Waffled falafel. Waffled falafel."

Now I have to try to sleep? Too fun!! I'll be up all night, pondering why I buy that waffle stick maker at Goodwill the other day. (I didn't buy it because I would want to scrub that sucker clean. In doing so, I'd remove the nonstick stuff. Then I'd be stuck with a non-nonstick waffle-stick maker. And that'd suck.)

I want the one that makes the cute heart shaped waffles and I'm not settling for less. Next year, I'll be eating heart-shaped waffled falafel with my sweetheart. I just know it.

I need to go to sleep.

[Kirstin]

Ooo, waffled falafel with tzatziki would be great, I agree with Marti!

[Ste]

IT IS THE FAWAFFEL

[Becky Sonnack]

hahaha...waffled falafel. that's a fun combination of words.

[Megan]

Loved looking through these photos-now I'm really craving some fresh hummus and pita bread-YUM!!

[Elie's Papel]

Fantastic idea... and delicious too! have a nice weekend!

[Katie]

So, should I be embarrassed that I never thought of the idea of waffled falafel? It's one of those things I wish I had come up with before hearing about it.

[Daniel]

You certainly shouldn't be more embarrassed than the guy who spent two months preparing for a waffling blog, keeping a synced list of possible waffling items on his phone and on his laptop, who brought up waffling possibilities at dinner with friends and who despite all this failed to come up with waffled falafel.

[Helen]

That does look absolutely amazing and delicious. Very interesting about the chickpea skins. Am I alone, though, in loving my hummus all rough and chunky? I usually mash the cooked chickpeas with a potato masher, never bothering with a food processor. Guess it makes a very different sort of hummus to this one.

[melissa]

Your blog is quite clever, but as someone with an insatiable sweet tooth I will have to disagree with one of the above statements: my Kitchenaid gets used ~3x/week, and my food processor only 1-2x/year, rendering it completely useless to own. But I do make a lot more cake than hummus... and I hardly ever waffle anything. But I might start soon.

[Daniel]

Very interesting. See, I very rarely make cakes. I do make quite a bit of bread dough — which is sort of an edge case, because it can be made in either the food processor or the stand mixer. I also use my food processor for shredding cheese, slicing or chopping vegetables, and blending things (such as a dip or a soup.)

Now, I had a food processor for about 10 years before I bought a stand mixer. So do I not make cakes because of so much time spent without a stand mixer? Or did I spend so much time without a stand mixer because I don't make cakes?

At any rate, I also use elbow grease for some of these kinds of tasks. I find myself with a lot of recipes that call for whipping a couple of egg whites — I don't have an immersion blender with a whisk attachment and I'm not going to use either the stand mixer or the food processor to tackle two egg whites.

But back to what's important: I think you need to make more hummus and I need to make more cake.

[steph]

I'd have to disagree as well. With decent knife skills a food processor becomes marginalized for all but the craziest tasks. Shredding cheese: box grater with less cleanup. The only real use is what you suggest: to pulverize things to more easily waffle them. Which is, admittedly, a pretty cool use. But come on, why not call it a waffle processor?

A stand mixer on the other hand does things you could never do by hand and plus (disclosure, I never use these) it can be turned into a meat grinder, a pasta roller, or an ice cream machine.

I have both, but space constraints forced me to get a very small food processor and a very large stand mixer. I wouldn't have it any other way.

[melissa]

You make an excellent point, politely, that stand mixer does engender a certain kind of laziness. I have no hesitation about pulling it out to make small quantities of whipped or beaten anything, although we (the KA and I) have a system that requires some babysitting, wherein I hold the bowl close to the beater, because I have a large enough capacity mixer that is not designed for the above-mentioned two egg whites or similar volumes. This has come to seem natural, although it has probably also voided the warranty.
I only know of making bread in the food processor--I've simply never tried it, throwing it in with the dough hook for ease or, rarely, the old-fashioned way for the times when the zen of kneading takes precedence over the end product. And point taken re: the hummus. The making of food with nutritive value is a perpetual battle, one I continue to lose, to the contentment of my coworkers. In the spirit of continued avoidance, perhaps my next task will be a side-by-side comparison of the same bread recipe in both my food processor and my mixer.

[dot]

I too have to way in on the stand mixer vs food processor thing.
I have both, and really use both, but my stand mixer more.
I make pesto and hummus in the processor.
I do things that will bake in the stand mixer - but I also used it for other stuff... like recently for making icecream (both for beating the eggs for the custard, then (with the bowl attachment) actually freezing the icecream. Nothing beats a stand mixer for beating eggwhites or whipping cream.

[Carolyn]

OK, I just discovered you through the US Airways in-flight magazine. My belly is full of waffled french toast. I'm very excited about the falwafel but sadly, though I hail from Chicago, I live somewhere where there's no chance for finding boxed falafel mix. (and nice tip about the peanut butter sub for tahini - I'm almost out of my imported stash) Has anyone tried a homemade version yet? I have two recipies - one for frying and a healther, baked version. For my first try, which do you think will work best?

[Daniel]

Where are you that they don't have falafel mix? I need to make sure I'm never there.

[Carolyn]

On the island of Bonaire, sadly, there is no falafel mix. We make up for it in other ways. However, being close to Venezuela, we have pre-cooked, extra-fine corn meal that's used for making arepas. I've been experimenting with it and thought it might make an interesting variant of your waffled polenta. I tried it out for lunch and it was easy and yummy. All you have to do is mix equal parts arepa-mix and boiling water. Then I put in grated feta and pinenuts, made it into balls and squashed them in my well greased waffle iron. No sticking at all! I topped it with green olive/sun dried tom tapenade and yogurt and it was delicious. Now I want to see if I can make it into something like the Cuban tamales verdes from Cafe 28. (I miss Chicago restaurants!)

[ChrisK]

I just tried this for dinner and the falafel came out very hard. I followed the package directions. I made them into 2 or 2.5 inch patties and waffled them for 8 minutes. They had browned slightly more than the pictures, but not burned by any means... I'm disappointed.

[Curt Campbell]

This is so genius! I will def. by trying this after exam :)

[Melanie]

Oh, I'll have to try this. I use my waffle iron to waffle veggie burgers all summer long - much less heat than baking or frying (and no icky fried smell in the house either). I have a couple of bean based recipes that work very well in the waffle iron. Now I have so much more inspiration as well! Thanks!

[Thomas Lenz]

To Carolyn, and anyone else reading this. If you have access to large amounts of sesame seeds (think Mexican markets) making tahini is easy as...well, waffles. I suggest baking as a more idiot proof way of toasting, and (getting to that other debate) you definitely want a food processor for this. And no, I didn't skin my chick peas, who knew? My niece thought it was fabulous. Good enough for me.

Daniel, please reconsider. This is to good to give up.

[Laura]

Great post, but how on earth can garlic be "optional"? I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this...

[Daniel]

Well, I'll tell you what's NOT optional: the comma before "optional." How did I miss that? Eesh. Fixed.

[Bob C.]

Steph, you got a high end stand mixer and a "low capacity" food processor so it's no wonder you think the mixer is more useful. Get one of the 14 C cuisinarts with an induction motor, make dinner for 6 where a head of celery, 3 onions, 6 carrots and 2 lbs of cheese are shredded in less than 1 minute (for all) and you may change your tune. I wouldn't give up my stand mixer, but I wouldn't give up my food processor, either. I do dough in the stand mixer.

[Anna]

Maybe you should call it "fawaffle"

[Jill]

My favorite falafel recipe is this one:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=1611
It's almost as easy as a box mix. Also, if you are near an Asian or Middle Eastern market you can often find chickpea/garbanzo flour much more cheaply there than in the specialty aisle of a regular supermarket. It might be labeled "besan."
Totally can't wait to try the fawaffle!

[Ricalivestrong.blogspot.com]

I've been making chummus for over 20 years now, after having learned how when I was in Israel and by Israeli friends. I've NEVER skinned a chickpea. I use a food processor. Skin? Schmin.