Being a hard-core non-veg, my freezer is always stacked with meat and other meat products. Surprisingly, today I found my refrigerator to be empty; there was neither any meat nor any veggies. And I really wanted to make something fried. Finally, my eyes caught on a can of chickpeas sitting at the corner on the counter top. First thing that flashed through my mind is Falafel, a very popular Middle Eastern appetizer. I always order Falafel whenever I go to Middle Eastern restaurant. Since I was looking for fried snack, Falafel was the right one to make. The best thing about making Falafel is that, it only calls for easily available ingredients and it could be made in no time.

Ingredients:

• Chick peas( cooked)- 15 ounce can
• Onion finely chopped-1
• Garlic minced-1 tsp
• Parsley chopped- 3tsp
• Cumin powder-1tsp
• Coriander powder-1tsp
• Pepper powder-1tsp
• All purpose flour-3tbsp
• salt- as required
• Oil- for frying

Preparation:

• Pat dry the canned chick peas. If you don’t have canned chick peas, boil dried chick peas with water in  pressure-cooker until it is well cooked.
• Combine the chick peas with all the other ingredients.
• Mash the chick peas with a wooden fork or you could even combine in a food processor and make into a coarse thick paste.
• Make the mixture into small round balls and flatten it in between the palm of your hands.
• Deep fry it in oil, until golden brown.
• Serve hot with Hummus or Tahini sauce. If you don’t have any of these, serve with Tomato ketchup.