Put your dried chickpeas into a big bowl and cover them with a lot of water because

they swell up more than you would anticipate. In the morning, drain and rinse them; at that point they

should be soft enough to be squeezed between the fingers but still clearly uncooked, whereas the

canned ones have a soft, cooked texture.

The garlic and both herbs in a food processor

and give it a few pulses—don't just keep the button down—instead make short bursts and at intervals

scrape the sides until the mixture appears as coarse, sandy crumbs. It must not be a paste. When I

first tried this I made the error of processing it for too long and as a result got something similar to

hummus which came apart just as badly as the one made using canned chickpeas. What you want is

coarse.

In a bowl and then stir in the cumin, coriander, cayenne (if you are using it), baking

powder, salt, pepper, and flour. Put the mixture into the fridge and leave it there for at least thirty

minutes. Previously I used to skip this step since I was impatient, but I really don't advise doing so —

the mixture becomes firmer as a result of the resting period and is much easier to shape afterwards.

heat up about two inches of oil in a deep pan to a temperature of 350°F.

Take small balls—about two tablespoons each—press them down a bit and fry them a few at a time,

for three or four minutes and flip them once, until they have turned the proper golden brown rather

than just tan. Don't put too many foods into the pan at one time. Even though it might be tempting to

speed things up by frying a large amount all at once, this will cause the oil temperature to drop and

result in greasy, unpleasant falafel rather than crisp ones.

Do not hurry with the soaking process; once I attempted a soaking which lasted only one hour,

believing that I could get away with it, but in the end I could not get away with it.

If you haven't got one already, purchase a cheap cooking thermometer since it's the act of guessing

the oil's temperature that causes falafel which is either greasy inside or burnt on the outside before it

has in fact been cooked.

If the mixture is too wet to hold together, add the flour a little at a time instead of putting it in all at

once. The fact that herbs can be unpredictable – for example, some bunches tend to be wetter than

others – means that what is important is how it feels when you are holding it in your hands.

Baking is also possible, though this means using a different type of falafel. First, place parchment

paper on the tray, then put the shaped falafel onto it, give it a light dressing of oil, and bake it at 400°F

for about 25 minutes, making sure to turn it halfway through. You will end up losing the crisp fried

crust, but the falafel are still all right and are considerably less messy to clean up afterwards.

It is possible to keep them in the fridge in a sealed container for about four days. Ideally, you should

reheat them in an oven or in an air fryer since using the microwave makes them soft and a bit sad,

contrary to the nature of falafel. If you want to prepare them in advance, shape the uncooked falafel

and place it on a tray before freezing it, then put it into bags once it has hardened. They can be fried

directly from frozen without the need to thaw them.