Falafel

Method

1. rest720 min
   cold water, 3x their depth, covered, room temperature or fridge
   dried chickpeas in water until they roughly triple and a split bean shows a chalky, uniform interior with no hard core — this is the whole dish. Canned or cooked chickpeas have gelatinized starch and no free protein structure left; ground up they make a wet paste that slumps off the spoon and dissolves in the oil. Raw soaked chickpeas are still granular, and the fritter is held together by starch that sets for the first time in the fryer.
2. mash8 min
   pulsed, in two batches
   drained chickpeas + onion + garlic + parsley + cilantro, pulsed to the texture of coarse wet sand — grains visible, no purée. A squeezed handful should hold its shape; if it sags, the mix is over-processed or the chickpeas were under-drained, and both push it toward paste
3. mix2 min
   by hand
   + cumin + coriander + cayenne + salt + black pepper + flour, worked in just until even. The flour is insurance, not structure — more than a couple of spoonfuls makes the interior bready
4. rest30 min
   covered, refrigerated
   the mixture, so the flour hydrates and the chilled fat and moisture firm the mass. Warm batter is the usual reason falafel breaks apart in the pot
5. fold3 min
   just before frying
   + baking powder, folded in at the last moment and then shaped into walnut-sized balls or flattened patties. It starts reacting with the moisture immediately; stirred in early it is spent before it reaches the oil, and the centers come out dense instead of open
6. fry6 min
   175°C / 350°F, in batches of five or six
   falafel, turning once, until deep brown and floating — about three minutes a side. Below 165°C the crust never sets fast enough to seal and they drink oil and crumble; above 190°C the shell darkens before the raw interior cooks through. Drain on a rack, not paper, so steam does not soften the crust
7. whisk2 min
   cold
   tahini + lemon juice + cold water, added a spoonful at a time. It will seize into a stiff paste before it loosens — keep going; that break-and-recover is the emulsion forming = tahini sauce
8. top3 min
   warm pita + falafel crushed lightly against the bread so it grips + tahini sauce + optionals. Assemble at the last minute; the sauce softens the crust within a few minutes of contact