Why Am I Vegetarian? Bean 13/100 #100beans

The recipe uses chickpeas and black eyed peas but feel free to use 200g of just one type of bean.

For those concerned: this method is a common way of making falafel. Chickpeas and black-eyed peas naturally contain very little of the toxin found in other beans, so soaking, blending and frying is enough to cook them through and make them safe to eat. Beans like kidney, cannellini, or black beans don’t cook as fast and need to be fully boiled first.

Makes 12 cutlets

Ingredients:
100g dried chickpeas
100g black eyed peas
1 medium onion, quartered
16g dill
16g parsley
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
½ tsp baking soda
Around 200-300ml cooking oil

Instructions:
1. Soak 100g dry chickpeas and 100g dry black eyed peas overnight.
2. Drain the liquid from the beans and blend all the ingredients for the cutlets in a food processor except for the cooking oil. Scrape the sides with a spatula in between to make sure everything is evenly blended. Transfer it to a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Use a tablespoon or a cookie scoop to form 12 even cutlets. Form a ball in your hand, pat it lightly into a pancake and push it to the sides to make it nice and round.
4. Heat a shallow pan over medium heat with enough oil to come halfway up the cutlets, otherwise you risk undercooking them. Once the oil is hot, add the cutlets, carefully, one by one without overcrowding the pan, and gently press each one with a spatula to flatten it. Aim for around 2 cm thick so they cook through. Fry for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until deep golden brown.

For freezing: they freeze very well, just fry them, pat them dry on a paper towel, let it cool down and freeze in an airtight container. To reheat you can do it in the oven for around 10 minutes or an air frier. I haven’t tried reheating them in the pan.