Falafel in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Falafel are deep-fried patties of ground chickpeas or broad beans with herbs and spices, crisp outside and green-flecked within. A Levantine street food and mezze staple, eaten in a wrap with tahini or as part of a spread. The Lebanese version uses chickpeas, herbs and a lot of coriander and cumin; the good one is fresh-fried and shatteringly crisp.
What falafel is
Dried chickpeas (never tinned) are soaked but not cooked, then ground raw with onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin and coriander seed, formed into small patties or balls and deep-fried. The raw soaked chickpea is the secret: it fries into a crisp shell and a light, fluffy, green interior. Egyptian falafel (ta'ameya) uses broad beans; the Levantine version uses chickpeas or a mix. It is eaten in a flatbread wrap with tahini sauce, pickles, tomato and salad, or as a mezze with hummus. Sesame seeds on the outside are common.
How to judge it
It should be crisp and crunchy outside, light and fluffy (not dense or dry) inside, green with herbs, fragrant with cumin and coriander, and freshly fried. A hard, dry, brown, spice-dull falafel, or one made from cooked chickpeas or a packet mix, is the low end. Fried to order beats sitting under a lamp. Good tahini sauce to go with it is half the pleasure.
Falafel as a meal
A falafel wrap is one of the best cheap vegan meals on any high street: fried-to-order falafel, tahini, pickles, salad and chilli in warm bread. As a mezze it sits with hummus and baba ganoush. It is naturally vegan and, freshly fried, genuinely good rather than a worthy substitute.
Where it is done well in the UK
Lebanese and Levantine restaurants and falafel shops. The list below shows areas with the most Lebanese restaurants.
How to order it
Order falafel freshly fried; it should be crisp outside and fluffy green inside, not dense and dry. A wrap with tahini, pickles and salad is a great cheap vegan meal. Good tahini sauce matters as much as the falafel.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most falafel specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve falafel near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 40 min
Ingredients
- 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (not cooked)
- 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves
- a large handful each of parsley and coriander
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, salt
- half tsp bicarbonate of soda
- sesame seeds, oil for frying
- tahini sauce, flatbread, pickles to serve
Method
- 01Drain the soaked chickpeas well. Blend with the onion, garlic, herbs and spices to a coarse paste; do not add water.
- 02Mix in the salt and bicarbonate and chill for 30 minutes.
- 03Form small patties, press sesame seeds on top, and deep-fry at 170°C until deep golden and crisp.
- 04Serve hot with tahini sauce, bread and pickles.
Use soaked raw chickpeas, never tinned or cooked, or the falafel falls apart and turns dense. Fry hot and eat straight away.