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Falafel II

Falafel made from chickpeas, onion, parsley, spices, breadcrumbs, and egg, fried and served as an appetizer or sandwich filling.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Falafel II

Ingredients

Directions

Make the mixture

  1. Combine chick-peas with onion.

  2. Add parsley, lightly beaten egg and spices.

  3. Mix in blender.

  4. Add breadcrumbs until mixture forms a small ball without sticking to your hands.

Shape and fry

  1. Form chick-pea mixture into small balls about the size of a quarter (one inch in diameter).

  2. Flatten patties slightly and fry until golden brown on both sides.

  3. Drain falafel balls on paper towels.

Serve

  1. Serve individually with toothpicks as an hors d'oeuvre or as a sandwich filling with chopped tomato, cucumber, radish, lettuce, onion, hummus and/or tahini inside pita bread.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

715Calories
21 gProtein
21 gFat
109 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Bulgurnot in our table0
Wheatnot in our table0
Coriandernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Coriander + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Parsley + coriandertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,062 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  5. Parsley + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,308 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chick-peas
Form the bulk of the mixture, giving the falafel its body and earthy flavor.
Egg
Binds the mixture so the balls hold their shape while frying.
Breadcrumbs or fine bulgur
Absorb moisture so the mixture firms up and no longer sticks to the hands.
Onion
Adds moisture and savory sweetness that deepens during frying.
Ground coriander or cumin
Contributes warm, aromatic spice flavor characteristic of the dish.

The step that matters

Add breadcrumbs until the mixture holds a ball. Too little binder leaves the balls loose and likely to break apart in hot oil, while too much makes them dense and dry. Adding it gradually and testing by shaping keeps the texture right.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, parsley, egg, bulgur, coriander, pepper, garlic):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Lentilsfits better
  3. Beansfits better
  4. Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, parsley, egg, bulgur, coriander, pepper, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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