Sichuan Falafel

My wife asked me to make Falafel a few months back, so being a foodie I accepted the challenge. This was right after we visited Mission Chinese in NY, so I decided a Sichuan flavor would go well. I've made this a few times with slight variations, but this time was better than the previous recipes.

Ingredients
1 bag of dried chickpea
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander
2 bunches of cilantro
5-10 cloves of garlic
1 small onion
2 tsp chili oil
2 tsp salt
1 lime
2 dried red chili
Oil to deep fry
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon corn starch

Preperation the day before

Falafel is traditionally made with uncooked chickpea. Some people say you can use cooked chickpea, but it won't have the same crunch. The night before soak the dried chickpea. This step isn't necessary, but I find it helps. After 2 hours, pour out the water and add fresh water. You'll notice the water turns a bit yellow after 2 hours of soaking. The next morning I pour out the water and put in fresh water again. At this point, the chickpea should be fully rehydrated.

Sichuan Powder

Toast the sichuan peppercorns, coriander, cumin, 1 tsp salt and dried chili in a pan for 1-2 minutes. Grind it in a spice grinder until it's a fine powder.

Making the mix

In 2-3 batches, grind the chickpea in a blender/food processor for 2-3 minutes. I like it to have some small and medium pieces. It gives it better texture. Rough chop the onion and cilantro. Blend the onion, garlic and cilantro until it's finely chopped. In a mixing bowl combine the chickpea, herbs, sichuan powder, 1 tsp salt, flour, corn starch, chili oil, lime juice and baking powder.

What I like to do is prepare the falafel mix the day before when I make dinner and then refrigerate them.

Cooking

Heat oil to 340-360F. Making golf ball size balls and drop them in the pot in small batches of 3-5. Don't put too many at the same time. Once they are dark brown, remove them from the oil and let them cool on a rack for a few minutes before eating.

If you want to use the falafels in a sandwich, form disks instead of balls so they fit inside a pita bread.