You’ve got these big fucking golf ball sized pucks of chickpea nugget and you’re supposed to put them in a pita or tortilla and eat them? And people… like that? These big fucking balls in your wrap? That you can fit like… three of?
I keep thinking they would be almost infinitely better fried and chopped up and then used as a filling but I also keep thinking if I do that it’ll be some White Person Shit i’ll get made fun of for like crushing ramen noodles so i can eat them with a spoon
YOU’RE RIGHT AND YOU SHOULDN’T BE ASHAMED TO SAY IT! SPEAK YOUR TRUTH!
You’ve got these big fucking golf ball sized pucks of chickpea nugget and you’re supposed to put them in a pita or tortilla and eat them? And people… like that?
Yes I do
YES. I DO like then, thank you very much!
Why don’t you like them more chopped into smaller pieces though
Because the crisp outer layer contrasted with the moist soft interior of the falafel is one of the great joys in life! Do you know what I say to those who would chop them into a mush? SAD!
But then you get a bunch of little crisp bits and they contrast with the tzatziki and tomatoes
You gotta look up Just Falafs and see how they do it. Best falafel I’ve ever had. Nice crisp crunch to them and the other ingredients make up for the dryness
big fucking golf ball sized pucks of chickpea nugget
They’re soft. They crumble when you bit into them, or just wehen it’s being wrapped. And they’re seasoned beautifully all the way through, it’s not like a nugget where it just tastes like chicken + the little bit of crust.
and you’re supposed to put them in a pita or tortilla and eat them?
Lavash bread is the way to go. And it’s accompanied with veggies, yogurt, hummus, other sauces or fun things. Pita is OK but you can’t load it as much as you can with lavash bread. Pita can be kinda dry imo. I guess a flour tortilla would be similar to Lavash texture and might be ok? I’d get a bit of a char on flour tortillas before wrapping, to try to get it more lavash-y
keep thinking they would be almost infinitely better fried and chopped up and then used as a filling
The falafal is already fried and kinda crumbles into all the other ingredients in the wrap. It’s soft with a little crunchy layer
I’m talking like an authority, but I’m mostly basing it on a local place I grew up with (in the us). I think they’re syrian, but they’ve been here for decades (i hear the the wraps were the same in the 80s)
deal? you got a deal on falafel wraps?!
Yea you can have as many as you want if you pay to get into the dining hall but if you eat more than 2-3 i’m gonna be mad and talking shit in the back if i gotta make more
I keep thinking they would be almost infinitely better fried and chopped up and then used as a filling but I also keep thinking if I do that it’ll be some White Person Shi
holy fuck you are overthinking this. that is how you use falafel balls.
I OVERTHINK EVERYTHING
Me too. I have overthought falafels and kebabs ad infinitum, as with all types of sandwich, but these in particular were a professional interest for a while.
edit: o they should already be fried btw so they will have benefited from that even if they seem soggy again now. just warm them up its part of the process.
I just ate one the other day, they crush the falafel slightly with the other ingredients, they fit like 5 in it too with a lot of other veg, and they are super chill. It was wonderful.
Well, that’s one way to eat them, and the best for takeaway. Lots of places also offer falaffel and hummus on a plate, with sides like tabboule, rice or french fries. Sometimes you can also get pickles and deep fried vegetables, mostly in Syrian or Lebanese owned shops that will then typically give you a little basket with the flatbread used for the wrap that you can then tear into pieces and use to pick stuff up from your plate (apparently using a fork for that is a white people thing, and the flatware is usually on a little side table and you get it yourself, the vendor just hands you the food and a little glas of chai). And ofc there’s combinations with other proteins like shawarma or seitan döner, very often you can also get fried halloumi cheese or cigköfte.
Keep in mind that this is a dish that’s spread all across the middle east nowadays and there’s a ton of different ways to prepare it. Lots of Turkish shops will, for example, use pide bread as in a döner kebab instead of the kind of flatbread used in the Levant, sauces and salads will vary as well.
they should kind of crumble and break up in the wrap thats normal holmes
I’ve seen some local döner kebab vendors crushing the falafel pellets a bit when assembling a wrap. I don’t know whether that’s common practice, or just something they do for the white consumer here. But it’s enough for me to cut it, though I also eat instant ramen with a spoon, so maybe don’t take it from me.
I’ve seen that as well and i also do it when i make falaffel dürüm at home, makes it easier to roll.
damn i miss a good late night döner
Pitas and tortillas are kind of big too, just chop those up and fry em.
I’m a chopatarian
Full sized tortillas are actually too big so i cut the falafel into quarters and put out 6" tortillas and these kids can deal w it
I’ve seen falafel that is more shaped like flat mini hockey pucks, those tend to work well in a wrap. Also I’ve been guilty in the past of taking falafel balls I’ve made and cutting them in half after they’re cooked, particularly if I made them too large at the beginning.
The puck shaped ones tend to be frozen, fresh ones usually end up in a golf ball or football egg shape. And the fresh ones are usually a lot juicier, plus spicing them with fresh parsley makes a big difference taste wise. They should be green on the insides, and not too dry.
Yeah these are the ones that go in falafel wraps, the longer flatter ones. They fit great in pita
This post is making me want to get off my ass and start making falafel again. I had a good habit of soaking/blending chickpeas and keeping it in a container in the fridge, was super convenient for lunches because you just scoop out some and oven/air fry/pan fry and have awesome lunch protein for a wrap or grow bowl or whatever. So easy and cheap too.
You can just buy chick pea flour in bulk and use that. Just gotta let some get a bit wet and then make some balls.
I’ve never actually had falafel and upon searching I’ve now realized falafel is basically chickpea hush puppies and I must have some. I love chickpeas. I’ve been known to eat them out of the can with a spoon.
Yeah they’re pretty much just ground up chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, jalapeno and seasoning turned into a nugget
jalapeños inside the falafel balls? I’m a multi-decade veteral falafel eater in several countries and i’ve never seen this. sometimes they put pickled arabic/turkish peppers in the wrap with the other stuff, but never in the balls, and never jalapeños? it’s just chickpeas and herbs.
It was serrano peppers inside the ones we buy
I don’t know dawg i thought that’s what the bag says but they’re in a freezer 30 miles away rn and even if i were there it’s really cold and i don’t wanna go in there i’ll have to check next time i gotta make falafel
freezer falafel? it needs to be from a guy in a cart. or maybe a very small shop. and the business name should be “falafel king” OR “[place name] falafel”, no exeptions
I was serious and ordered a falafel wrap pretty much immediately. I loved it and they’re super dense. The place I ordered from says they’re chickpeas and fava beans together. It was delicious, and I have leftovers.
I also got hummus with pita. The hummus tasted far more like boiled peanuts than the store bought hummus I’m used to. Is that good? I love that flavor, but I have no context here beyond Sabria or whatever the brand is.
chickpeas and fava beans together
woah that’s high tech
having them as balls helps with distribution, stores or home, it’s more convenient to count roughly same sized balls and sell each one for the same price, or in the case of homes give each family member a balanced number. think of it like ice cream scoops
