Falafal is one of my favourite vegetarian dishes. I live in The Netherlands, and the best falafal in our country can be found at Falafval They can be found at the farmers market in Rotterdam (Rotterdamse Oogstmarkt) and on events in the area.

They make falafal from the cutting-waste of vegetables from a number of restaurants. Their falafal is served with Amba (a sauce based on mango) together with preserved mini-aubergines (see picture of can below) My home-made falafal is not as good as theirs, but still a great thing to make at home.

The secret of falafal is dried chickpeas (or dried broadbeans) soaked in water overnight, but not cooked. So do not use canned chickpeas. The falafal on the picture above is made from a mix of dried chickpeas and broad beans soaked overnight.

I grind them coarsely in the kitchen-machine and mix them with some onions, persil and other herbs or vegetables. A little salt, some chickpea flour as well as ground coriander and cumin can be added. Or even some green chili. I do add a spoon of baking powder.

From this mix I make little balls or actually more like dishes, as I do have a very handy falafal-maker. I put them on a sheet of baking paper into the freezer fro a few hours. That makes them easier to handle, and they do not fall apart when deep-frying.

Preparing is simple, just deep-fry for a few minutes until golden-brown.

Served with Amba sauce (or tahini sauce) and some canned aubergine makes it a delicious dish or apetizer.