Kala Chana Falafel

Ingredients:

For the kebab:

1. Kala chana or black chickpeas: 2 cups
2. Medium-sized onions (roughly chopped): 2
3. Garlic cloves (roughly chopped): 4
4. Ginger (roughly chopped): ½ inch
5. Coriander leaves (chopped): ½ cup
6. Mint leaves (chopped): ¼ cup
7. Green chillies (deseeded): 2
8. Chickpea flour (besan): 8-9 tbsp
9. Kebab masala: 2 tbsp
10. Rock Salt to taste
11. Water: 4 cups

For the kebab masala:

1. Black Peppercorn: 2 Tsp
2. Coriander Seeds: 1 Tbsp
3. Cinnamon Stick: 2- Inch
4. Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi): 1 Small
5. Green Cardamom Pods: 2
6. Cloves: 8-10

Method:

To cook the kala chana:

• Wash and soak kala chana in enough water for 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain the water and add the chana in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 15 minutes or 6 whistles.
• Transfer the boiled chana into a bowl and reserve ⅔ cup boiled chana water. Allow them to cool down.
• Then add the boiled chana along with ⅔ cup chana water in a blender jar. Grind to a smooth paste.

To make the kebab masala:

• In a heated pan, add black peppercorn, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, black cardamom and green cardamom pods.
• Dry roast all the whole spice for a few minutes until fragrant. Turn the heat off and transfer them to a plate.
• Once the spices cool down, grind them to a fine powder.

To make kala chana kabab:

• In a heated pan, add chickpea flour. Roast it for a few minutes on low flame, stirring continuously, until the raw smell goes away. Turn the flame off and keep it aside to cool down.
• In a blender jar, add chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Grind to a smooth paste.
• In a large bowl, add ground chana paste, roasted chickpea flour, coriander-onion paste, 2 tablespoon kebab masala and salt. Combine everything well.
• Divide the kebab mixture into equal size portions (depending upon the preferred size). Roll these portions into balls and flatten them.
• Air Fry them in a preheated air fryer for 10-15 minutes or bake in a preheated oven at 200℃ for 15-20 minutes or till they become crispy