The Secret to Perfectly Crispy Falafel

If you’re a falafel lover or someone who keeps to a plant-based diet, the cookbook Falafel by Dunja Gulin is a perfect fit for you.

My first thought when approaching this cookbook was: How much variety can there really be to falafel? After all, as far as I was concerned, falafel is falafel! How can you base an entire cookbook on it? But Gulin proved me wrong with her book, which encompasses different types of falafels, falafel-inspired patties, falafel-inspired meals, and the sauces and breads that go with them.

Gulin grew up in Croatia, where falafel wasn’t something she was familiar with. But what she did know intimately were chickpeas, which were a frequent staple in many of the meals her parents and grandmother made. It wasn’t until she moved to London in the late 1990s that she encountered her first falafel from a street cart and was inspired by what her beloved chickpeas were used for in this Middle Eastern classic. That’s all it took for her to begin her lifelong love affair with falafel and experiment with different ways to make it, tweak it, and be creative.

In this cookbook, you can find recipes that are fried, oven-baked, and even raw, so there is something to be found for everyone's tastes and dietary needs. There are recipes in this book that could be used as a component in a larger meal or an appetizer. However, she also offers recipes for full meals with falafel elements.

Gulin understands how to take some of these staple ingredients from the falafel, like the chickpea, and come up with creative and healthy takes on it. For example, her Gram Flour and Harissa Patties are a delicious way to use chickpea flour and add in some spicy harissa. I appreciated the simplicity of the recipe, especially for us home cooks who may not necessarily have the time to soak chickpeas for regular falafel and want a fun dish with a quick preparation.

Photography by Tim Atkins © Ryland Peters & Small

She also offers alternatives for those looking for something healthier and not fried, which can be a great option for those who want something crispy and delicious without all the oil. You could try something like Gulin’s BBQ Falafel Croquettes recipe, which is a creative and fun way to get that falafel flavor you crave, with a kick of BBQ flavoring to shake things up, all baked in the oven so you won’t have to stand over a stove frying.

Photography by Tim Atkins © Ryland Peters & Small

Gulin provides the readers with so many innovative plant-based recipes. Sometimes, all you’re looking for is a new way to use tofu or a way to sneak some veggies into your meal while still keeping everything tasty and satisfying, and there are several recipes in this cookbook that fit the bill. I particularly loved her Greek-Style Falafel Fritters, which have a tasty Mediterranean vibe and, best of all, are made with zucchini in a way that keeps them light and healthy.

Photography by Tim Atkins © Ryland Peters & Small

While some recipes in the book might seem a little too out there for hard-core falafel aficionados, it’s best to go in with an open mind. Gulin had me throwing all my preconceived notions about falafel out the window with this cookbook. I admire her innovative ideas for how to take something as well-known and simple as falafel, and then use it in so many different ways. It’s also a great way to add more plant-based recipes into your life, especially if you’re looking for recipes outside the usual vegan norms out there.

Photos and recipes courtesy of Falafel by Dunja Gulin, published by Ryland Peters & Small ($16.65) Photography by Tim Atkins © Ryland Peters & Small