These are not falafel, these are fake falafel, and they’re really not even that. These are cauliflower florets in a falafel tempura batter, fried until crispy and resembling falafel. They’re healthier than falafel, and quite frankly they’re easier to make than falafel. And they’re fucking delicious. They make for a great appetizer, or even as the main attraction in a hummus bowl (as pictured). Falafel is a versatile side dish and allows for the accompaniment of a variety of dips. Hummus is the one most people gravitate towards, but Baba Ganoush, Muhamarrah or in this case even ranch dressing. Yes, ranch dressing, because most people who tempura fry cauliflower end up tossing them in a buffalo sauce and serving them with ranch.
Read more: Cauliflower “Falafel”And this is also a hack recipe. I’m not going to take you down the road of actually preparing a falafel mix and using that. I’m going to lie to the eater, deceive them, and instead use a box of falafel mix. Use any box of falafel mix you want. In this one I’m using Sadaf Falafel mix, a box I usually pickup at the international grocery store I shop at. You can even find these in the international aisle of a large big-box chain, it’s fairly common. The picture above shows the cauliflower being served on top of a bed of Traditional Hummus .
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Cauliflower “Falafel”
Ingredients
- 1 head medium to large sized cauliflower Cut into smaller florets. Not too small that you've got a million fake falafel, but not too large that you can't eat them as a side. About a 1-inch floret is perfect.
- 1 cup falafel mix You can use any boxed falafel mix you'd like. I opt for Sadaf because it's easily available and makes for good falafel, but seriously any falafel mix will work.
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup ice cold water
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 2 cups oil, for frying use canola or sunflower if possible. Vegetable oil is fine as well, but I prefer the other 2 types here.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the cauliflower florets and boil for about 4 minutes, or until the cauliflower is almost cooked. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking more and to cool it.
- Spread the cauliflower out onto a plate lined with paper towels and allow them to air dry, until completely dry. If completely dry, you will get a much better result, I promise you to be patient. Leave them for an hour and walk away!
- While air drying, go ahead and make the falafel tempura batter. In a bowl, mix the falafel mix, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the ice-cold water and the egg. Do not overmix, the batter shouldn't be super-smooth.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan, using more or less depending on the size of the pan. You want at least an inch of oil to fry in. Heat to 375 degrees, using a thermometer if you have one.
- Working with one cauliflower floret at a time, dip it into the tempura batter (using a fork, or your hands – but be careful when dipping in the oil) and slightly shake it to remove the excess batter. Immediately transfer to the oil and repeat with 3-4 more florets. Fry for about 1 minute, or until golden brown. Remove the cauliflower tempura from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to remove the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower florets, frying no more than 4-5 at a time.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce, or as a Hummus plate for a full meal, on top of my Traditional Hummus recipe.
