• THE DAY BEFORE - Soak the dried chickpeas in plenty of water overnight. Cover them at least as deep your middle knuckle because they will swell a lot.
• Drain and rinse the peas then add them to your food processor together with the onion, herbs and spices. Pulse until you have a texture like coarse sand.
• Now add the gram flour and the baking soda and pulse again to combine. Put the mixture into a bowl, cover it and refrigerate for 30 mins to allow it to swell and set
• Assess the mixture to make sure it will compact when you form it. The age of your dried chickpeas can affect the hydration of the mixture so you may need to adjust with a bit more water or flour.
• Use your hands to form round balls or patties approximately 45g each.

Roar tip! many newer electric fan ovens can be set to run at dehydrating temperatures e.g as low as 30C and usually in 5C increments.

• Now for the cooking or dehydrating: You can either dehydrate them at 45C/115F/ gas 1/4 (plate-warmer) for 8 hours by placing them on a teflex or greaseproof sheet. For deep frying heat about 8cm of oil in a pan on medium heat and cook in batches until nicely browned, then put them on a tray lined with kitchen paper and keep them warm then while you cook the remainder. To be frugal with oil its better to use a taller pot of smaller diameter and cook in small batches. For shallow frying, brush the falafels with oil and bake for 20-25 minutes at gas 4/ 175C/350F. Best served warm.

OPTIONS - other complementary herbs and spices like fresh or dried mint, oregano, ground cinnamon work well. Also some lemon juice, tahini or ground nuts, like almonds, can bring interesting flavour profiles and new taste dimensions!