Falafel is a patty or ball that is deep-fried and made either from fava beans or chickpeas and sometimes from both. It is a traditional food from the Middle East and served within a pita that acts as a pocket. It is also often wrapped in flatbread, which is called ‘taboon.’ They are most commonly topped with hot sauce, pickled vegetables, and often with tahini-based seasonings. Green Falafel is soft and fluffy from inside while being crunchy from the exterior. But the question is, “Is Falafel Healthy?”?
Why is Falafel green?
That’s mostly because of the dill, parsley, and mint. This delicacy is Middle-Eastern inspired, gluten-free, and vegan. In contemporary times, veganism has been on the rise. Consumers are also becoming more health-conscious, and thus, falafels containing a lot of vegetables can be a healthy food choice for them.
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Why is falafel green?
It is a common question that why is falafel green. It can be super green from the inside, mostly because of parsley, dill, and mint. Green Falafel is eaten chiefly by Jordanian, Iraqi and Palestinian people, and the greenness of the Falafel depends on the spices used. The Iraqi Falafel is different in look and texture from the traditional falafels.
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Green falafel recipe
It is not the traditional recipe for falafels but contains three types of herbs: aromatic and seven spices. This makes it green from the inside and gives a crispy texture to the outside. Adding baking soda helps to make them extra fluffy and soft. Fava beans can be used for adding moisture.
The ingredients include:
- A cup of dry garbanzo beans
- A cup of fava or split beans
- Two tablespoons of baking soda
- ½ chopped stalk celery
- A large chopped onion
- 1/3 chopped bell paper red
- 2/3 fresh mint in a cup
- ½ fresh dill in a cup
- A tablespoon of salt
- Two tablespoons of ground cumin
- ¾ tsp of garlic powder
- ¼ tsp of oregano
- 2/4 tsp each of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and anise
- 1/8 tsp of nutmeg
- ½ tsp of baking soda
- ½ cup of chickpea or rice flour, and
- Oil for frying.
Instructions for preparing the falafel:
- The broad beans and chickpeas need to be placed in a bowl along with baking soda. It needs to be covered and left for overnight soaking.
- The beans need draining and rinsing. They need to be placed in a food processor along with the other ingredients: onion, red bell pepper, salt, spices, oregano, rice flour, garlic powder, celery, and baking soda.
- A coarse meal needs to be formed by pulsing all ingredients together. Adjusting the seasoning is important.
- The mixture needs to be transferred to one large bowl.
- Hands need to be used to form thick discs, or small balls/ It needs to be placed in line with the parchment paper.
- The mixture needs to be chilled in the refrigerator for a one-hour minimum.
- A large skillet needs to be filled with vegetable oil for a depth of nearly 1 inch. Heat it over a medium temperature for around 5-7 minutes.
- After the oil becomes hot, the falafels need frying for about 2-3 minutes on both sides. As soon as the bottom becomes brown, it needs to be flipped gently.
- They can now be served with tabbouleh, tahini sauce, or hummus.
Is falafel healthy?
Falafel contains a good number of micronutrients. It is a good source of protein and fibre. Falafel may help curb a person’s appetite, support the maintenance of a healthy level of blood sugar, and lower the chances of developing chronic diseases.
In contrast to the high-calorie content due to frying, baked falafel might be more nutritious. Baked falafels are also vegan and gluten-free.
Another healthy alternative to the fried type is herb falafel. They contain a lot of greens to add health to your diet.
This would naturally make the falafel green and answer the question of why is falafel green.
What is falafel made of?
It contains several ingredients as already listed above, such as chickpeas, mint, large beans, fresh herbs. Adding mint, parsley, and fresh herbs can result in the Falafel becoming healthier and more nutritious and end up with a question from the family: why is falafel green.
Falafel foods
Falafel can be enjoyed in a variety of styles. For instance, you can enjoy it with Mediterranean-style cucumber and tomato salad or wrap it in the style of pita bread sandwiches and enjoy with hummus and the other toppings. It can also be enjoyed in the form of a mezze spread.
Falafel Nutrition
Chickpeas, which constitute a major ingredient for preparing Falafel, consist of abundant proteins, act as carbohydrates and contain soluble fibres. High fiber-containing foods help lower levels of blood lipid-like reduction of cardiovascular diseases and cholesterol and lower colon cancer risks.
Falafels are rich in nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, Vitamin C, etc. The cholesterol and trans fat content of the Falafel are also quite low.
Is falafel vegan?
Falafel is usually made from ingredients that are not derived from animal products. Therefore, falafels are often classified as vegan food, especially as made from cilantro, spices, basil, basil, flour, olive oil, and chickpeas.
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be seen that Falafel, if baked and not stir-fried, is an essential source of various nutrients and has many potential health benefits. Sometimes falafels prepared with certain particular herbs and ingredients also end up looking green.
Hopefully, this has been informative enough to answer the question: why is falafel green, and also is it healthy?.
