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I'm currently soaking chickpeas to make falafel for the first time - rather more than I need for this evening, so I'll have some spare mix, probably enough that I'll want to freeze at least some, rather than using it later in the week.

I know it's not supposed to hold together very well formed but uncooked, so I assume either cooking and reheating, or storing the unformed mix is the way to go, but which is better? Is there any difference if I'm freezing rather than refrigerating?

Chris H
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    I made enough to experiment a little - the mix didn't hold together on cooking very well but the flavour and texture were good. I've frozen a cooked portion to test reheating, and kept a portion of uncooked mix in the fridge for later in the week. – Chris H Aug 06 '18 at 08:12

2 Answers2

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The best way to freeze felafel batter really is formed into small balls, but not cooked. Then you can toss the partially thawed balls into hot oil without further fuss. Because the balls are fragile, as you noticed, that means lining them up on a cookie sheet and freezing them that way, which you may or may not have room for.

I have not tried freezing a mass of felafel batter, so I don't know if that still works when thawed. I'd be concerned about water separating out of the ground chickpeas during the freeze-and-thaw cycle. If you do this anyway, and the batter doesn't want to hold together afterwards, I suggest adding a little dry chickpea flour to it.

FuzzyChef
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  • It hadn't ocurred to me to cook them from frozen, as I assumed they wouldn't cook through. I can't really do that bit of the experiment this time. – Chris H Aug 06 '18 at 08:10
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    That's why I stressed *small* balls. As long as they're on the small side, they should cook fine. At least they have when I've done it. – FuzzyChef Aug 06 '18 at 16:05
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    I'm flattening mine a little as well, which should help them cook through (it's mainly so I need to use and dispose of less oil) – Chris H Aug 06 '18 at 16:27
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    Yes. Also makes it easier to freeze them since they don't roll around on the cookie sheet ... – FuzzyChef Aug 06 '18 at 16:28
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In the end what worked for me was cooking them before freezing them. They hold together reasonably well, but the real benefit is that I can microwave them for a quick dinner if they only need reheating, and that fits with my partial meal-prepping approach that relies on freezing to balance weekly effort against variety.

Chris H
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