Ziyad Falafel Dry Mix - 12 oz Gluten-Free, Vegan, Non-GMO, No Additives, No Preservatives - Vegan/Vegetarian Spice Mix with Minced Onion, Garlic, Sesame - Great for Making Veggie Burgers and Snacks

These falafels were reasonable to prepare and the results were delicious and approved by everyone who's had a sample. I've been making falafels from a mix for a couple of years. The kind I was getting from the local grocery store was discontinued so change was forced upon me. There was another brand locally and I tried them and the balls were too dense and the falafels were bready and mostly tasteless. That was almost enough for me to quit making falafels... I persevered and read some reviews and this was one of the top choices. I was a little unclear on the directions, my fault really. I like to make large batches, two boxes at a time, so the instructions to combine equal amounts of mix and water wasn't really how I wanted to do it. Instead, I read there are 9 servings of 1/4 cup in the box which would be 2 1/4 cups, right? So I dumped 2 boxes in the bowl and started adding water. At 3 cups of water (on my way to 4 1/2 cups for 2 boxes) the mix was looking about right but I also knew it was going to thicken over the next half hour so I ended up putting in 4 cups of water (even I knew the last 1/2 cup was way too much). After thickening all it would, it was still a little too runny for making balls but not really too bad. So I brought my olive oil up to 350 degrees (I used an infrared thermometer gun) and then used a small spoon to place little pools of falafel in the olive oil to cook. What can I tell you, it turned out great. It was actually easier, quicker and less messy than trying to make balls. Of course, if you really like falafel balls, this might be a problem. You might call these oblate spheroids at best. Either way, this is the mix for me now and this is my method. Mix 2 boxes of falafel mix with 4 cups of water in a bowl and let thicken for 30 minutes. Bring 3/4 inch depth of olive oil to 350 degrees (where the mix will bubble in the oil but not so you feel in danger). Spoon in generous teaspoons of mix into the oil and fry on each side for a couple of minutes. The falafel might be a little delicate when you flip it but should mostly hold together, if it is still too fragile, just wait a little longer. After frying both sides, take out, let drip a moment back into oil if necessary and cool on paper towel. Makes a lot of falafel oblate spheroids so I usually freeze almost half for later. And more than half I put in a container in the refrigerator. I like warming a couple along with a small round na'an in the toaster oven, then putting hummus and the falafels on na'an. Others around me also add spinach and/or fetta cheese. Needless to say, this falafel mix is a winner for me.

This is rally delicious falafal mix and is easy to use.

Great mix

I have celiac disease, so everything I eat has to be strictly free of gluten. While I often like to make foods from scratch, I don't want to beat up my food processor blades on chick peas, so I prefer to get a mix when possible, and this is the only one I know about that is gluten free. However, there is a disclaimer that says it is made in an environment which is not wheat/allergen free, but since I have done well with these in the past, I'm OK with taking chances. Use your own discretion if you have celiac or wheat allergies. My one sentence review is that this mix is a good starting point that can be excellent by adding other spice and fresh or dried ingredients according to taste. If you want more details, read on. Another reviewer said their box did not have fava beans in addition to chick peas; my box and the old box I had I bought locally last year also did. Ingredients in the 6-pack box I bought here (identical to my last local box): Ground chick peas, ground fava beans, spice blend (no details on that, which can be kind of scary for those of us with food allergies), minced onion, garlic, baking soda, salt,sesame seeds. While the sesame seeds are listed last (meaning the smallest proportion of ingredients), the sesame taste is nice and strong after cooking because they toast up nicely. When the mix is wet, the spice mixture is very tasty, bit somehow it loses a lot of pizzazz after cooking, so I use this as a base that I doctor up. Some of the ingredients I add are dried and fresh chopped garlic and onion, minced bell pepper, paprika, fresh or dry minced parsley, minced celery leaves, a blob of tahini or sesame oil, black or white pepper, cumin, turmeric, minced hot peppers, fresh lemon juice (this adds a lot of oomph; use 1/4 to 1/2 a lemon per mix), coriander, minced carrot, or anything else you like. Minced or finely diced eggplant, tomato (especially if drained), and even potatoes, and probably lots of other vegetable or other ingredients (bacon? cheese?) could be successfully mixed into this along with some spices for a nice, crunchy meal or snack that suits your tastes and dietary parameters. Finely diced eggplant will be my next new add-in ingredient since it's so well-suited to the regional flavors, but might make it too wet, at least for do-ahead batches. On that note, I usually make a whole box of this instead of two batches, and par cook some of them as do-ahead falafel. In other words, I fully cook the ones I want to eat right away to a golden crispy finish, and I par-cook some of them to a lighter and wetter look so I can later reheat them in the toaster oven , microwave or oven. They can be frozen and heated later as well, especially if shaped into even patties, not balls. Because you are adding a wet mixture into hot oil if preparing as directed (I imagine they could be baked on a greased sheet with a good, tasty outcome), you need to be careful when putting the mix into the hot oil to avoid dangerous spattering. The mix should hold its shape (without cracking if you don't want it to be too dry) and be added to the hot oil very slowly and carefully. Hotter oil will help quickly seal the outside with a crust that will limit how much oil is absorbed by each patty, but hotter oil also increases the danger of spatters and oil fires, so work with oil safely. Shaping the mix into patties instead of balls as pictured on the package also meansI can use less oil and get more surface area exposed to oil to get crispy in a shallow pan, and they also cook more evenly. When I mix fresh, wet vegetables into the dry mix, I let it sit covered in the 'frig longer than a half hour and taste it before adjusting, and I might cut back ever so slightly on the water (like a teaspoon or less) unless I also add more dry ingredients like dry chopped onion, garlic, parsley, etc. Adding fresh ingredients makes it more nutritional and less salty, so adjust to taste if you like a salty product. Chopped olives would probably also be a delicious ingredient and would add some salt if desired. The bottom line is that you can experiment with this, and since it doesn't have egg or other dangerous raw ingredients, you can taste as you mix and adjust the flavors. I like to eat the end product with a side salad with a tangy dressing (Caesar or Greek, etc) and some tsatziki sauce, or just cucumbers and yogurt, and or some tahini, squeeze of lemon, olives, etc. Falafel is a great way to marry the flavors of snack and crunchy foods with some light, cool, refreshing, and importantly, healthy sides. And it isn't as bad on its own as the majority of other traditionally fried foods.

Flavor expected, just not there.

The taste is OK but the patties were really hard. I cooked them in oil in an attempt to avoid this problem. The instructions call for the use of cold water. Perhaps using hot water will make them softer,

The lovely flavor and ease of use keeps me a repeat customer.

Got delivered the next day. Very reasonable price. Comes in 6 packs which I like so it keeps fresh. I love the punchy taste and crunchy texture. I use it in flat breads, burgers, or simply falafel balls. Love it!