5 min Broad Bean Falafel
#EatNZKaitaki Katherine Mitchell is a hunter, gardener, cook and educator in Te Anau, here she celebrates the easy-to-grow, abundant & delicious broad beans, in the form of falafel.
Broad beans are a home gardener’s dream vegetable, they are hardy, frost tolerant, great for the soil and pretty much foolproof to grow if you get them in the ground early enough. They are not however everyone’s dream vege to eat, in fact mention broad beans to many a kiwi and they will shudder at the thought. Images flood back of grandparents serving up grey wrinkly beans that have been boiled for hours and taste like chalk. Hiding uneaten broad beans from our grandparents was a right of passage for many children.
As soon as the beans in my garden were ready I picked them daily, young broad beans are delicious when quickly blanched and added to salads and pasta. After 10 days away however, I had missed my window for these tasty morsels and came home to the large grey variety, 2.5 kgs worth!
After cutting the plants down, picking and shelling the beans I was almost more excited by the pile of potential compost I was looking at than the beans themselves. No matter how hard I try, I end up in this situation year after year. Insert photo 2
Thankfully I have my tried and true recipe for oversized broad beans which is this 5 minute broad bean falafel. It does not require the beans to be skinned after shelling and works equally well with fresh beans as beans that have been thrown in the freezer.
5 Minute Broad Bean Falafel
Makes approximately 12 falafels
Ingredients:
3 cups shelled but unpeeled fresh or frozen broad beans
½ onion diced
1 big handful of fresh mint, coriander and parsley coarsely chopped
3-4 Tbsp of chickpea flour (any other plain or gf flour would work)
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp each ground cumin and turmeric
Salt and pepper (be generous)
Place broad beans and spices in a food processor and blend until a coarse puree forms. Add onion, fresh herbs and 2 tbsp of chickpea flour. Pulse blender until mix is just combined, test the mix by foaming a ball in your hands, if the mix does not form or feels wet add more chickpea flour 1 tbsp at a time. Set the mix aside to chill.
To cook, form the mix into patties or balls and shallow fry until golden and crisp.
See more from Katherine over on Instagram @katherineinshadowland