Today, we revisit the classic falafel recipe and give it a fun Indian makeover using mung beans instead of chickpeas. It’s a flavour-packed alternative, perfect when you fancy something different from the traditional fritters, but equally delicious!
Mung beans are tiny green beans, also known as green gram or munggo. They’re widely used in South and Southeast Asia, especially in Indian, Indonesian, Chinese, and Filipino cuisines.
Compared to chickpeas, mung beans are smaller and have a nuttier, sweeter flavour. They also cook faster and have a less crumbly texture.
You might not know it, but folks in India already have their own version of falafels. It’s called vada or vadai: small, fried bean patties flavoured with spices and herbs like curry, masala, and cilantro.
Instead, the classic Egyptian falafels are bite-sized balls of chickpea dough made with ground chickpeas, fresh parsley, cumin, and garlic. These little morsels are deep-fried until browned and crispy, and then served with warm pitta bread and tahini sauce.
Our mung bean falafels are a delicious cross between these two recipes: ball-shaped fritters of mung bean paste with fresh coriander and curry powder, plus sesame seeds and garlic. So good!
In classic falafels, you have to soak the chickpeas overnight, blend them into a chunky dough, and shape it into balls before deep-frying them.
In our recipe, instead, we shook things up to make it easy, faster, and healthier!
How? Simply soak the mung beans for 2-3 hours, and simmer them for 20 minutes until soft. Then, mash the beans into a paste with the other ingredients, shape the falafels, and oven-bake them until golden.
Baked instead of fried, these homemade bean falafels are super healthy and low in fats. They’re soft inside and crispy outside, lightly spiced and flavourful.
Now, time to gather the ingredients and make these delightful mung bean balls together. The recipe is so simple you’ll be munching on these goodies in no time!
And if you’d like to try another delicious recipe with mung beans, check out this vegan mung bean burger, Chinese sweet mung bean soup, and mung bean curry puffs!