I always like imagining kenji yeeting me onto his shoulders in the beginning of every video

Hey Kenji, you really have become the modern day Jacques Pepin. These videos remind me so much of the early episodes of Fast Food My Way before PBS started editing his recipes down and cutting out much of the technique. Not only do you explain what & why you're doing, us being able to see your technique in action is so useful. Thanks for taking the time. You are an inspiration to all of us wannabe chefs and foodies.

Hi Kenji, loved the video! Another common falafel that we make in Palestine is a bigger version stuffed with onion and sumac, and then rolled in sesame seeds. The balls come out better if you have access to a falafel scoop too! And go heavy with greens (add leeks too) for that bright fluffy interior and crisp brown exterior. Serve with a side of Tahini salad (cucumber, tomato, tahini, lemon, gralic, EVOO, water, salt) Delicious!!!

Keeping a running audible stream of consciousness monologue isn't always easy. Kenji does a good job.

my mans out here like "one for my dog, one for me, one for my wife, one for me, oops one broke, that one's for me, and I think that adds up to another one for me.." I don't blame you, they look absolutely delicious dude, hope you had a wonderful lunch, love your videos

kenji thinking that someone who doesn’t have a food processor would absolutely have a meat grinder 😂

He has so much stuff in his kitchen and he knows exactly where everything is

“Add a whole head of garlic”: *Brad Leone has entered the chat.* “Inhibit the allicin development...”: *Brad Leone has left the chat.*

popping in 10 months late to say I made that tahini sauce recipe, and it is INSANE. One of the best things I've ever eaten. Instant classic.

FalAweful experience. This channel is comedy heaven.

You could add a tsp of baking soda just before rolling and frying them to get an extra fluffy texture.

I cannot stress it enough..Thanks Kenji..your Cooking show is the best thing that came out of corona. I simply do not get it, why this channel does not have millions of subscribers.

I use a very similar recipe when I’m making falafel, but I shape them into small patties and bake them in the oven (mostly because frying scares me and I always feel like I’m wasting a ton of oil). I add about 2-3 tsp of olive oil to the mix itself to compensate for the dryness, and spray the (parchment papered) baking sheet and tops of the falafels with oil as well. Bake them at 400 for about 30 min or until nicely browned, flipping halfway. They still crisp up really nicely outside and retain a fluffy and moist inside.

another nonbinary fan here, all your videos have really been helping me stay sane during quarantine and teaching me how to cook new things properly

This is bringing back fond memories of the time I worked as a cook at a restaurant that served fresh falafel sandwiches. We would soak large quantities of chickpeas overnight in our old pickle buckets, but you had to make sure to leave one side of the lid open, or risk a foamy mess in the morning. One time, someone had left the chickpeas soaking for two whole days in the middle of the summer, but they had sealed the bucket completely. For 48 hours. In the middle of summer. In a restaurant kitchen. I'm not quite sure what happened to those chickpeas during that time, but the smell was so bad when we opened it that we had to put the bucket outside so as not to risk our guests catching a whiff. Good times.

" Hey Kenji! Could you make a video on fridge management? I constantly waste food and looking at your fridge it looks like you have a great variety of stuff but you are able to use it all in different recipes. What does an average "basic" fridge shop contain for you? " - Dom W

hey kenji, im israeli and making tons of falfal a year, yours looking good and i got few tips :1. make green thaini it goes great with green flafal (just chop up some herbs and put in) 2.add a small amout of baking soda to the falfal blend and the color and crust will be perfect (you know like your potatos recipe) 3.if you add cold water to thaini it comes smoother faster 4.add sesame seeds to your falfal, its crazy how much flavor it adds and also connects with the thaini your great thanks for all the information your giving us for free :D

The ratio of Tahini to liquid (water+lemon juice) in the sauce is about 1:1. In order to avoid the "mud phase", you can start with the liquids and mix the Tahini paste into the liquids. The liquids should be a bit less than half the volume of prepared Tahini sauce you want to make. Then, adjust. I am an Israeli cook. I made lots and lots of Tahini and came up with this method. Try it the next time you make Tahini sauce.

I have made them with canned chickpeas before, but threw them in the freezer for 15 min before frying. It worked well and the falafel turned out nicely.

I made this and yknow what. It was fucking bomb. It was amazing. I've never even fried anything before. These lil boys of garbanzo beans? They cooked perfect. They stayed together. I will never experience the frustration of falafal falling apart THIS MAN has saved me from a future I didn't even know existed. The falafal? It was good. This makes good falafal

safety tip when cooking with oil at home, don't wear socks. I made that mistake last week, splattered some 500 degree butter on my foot while wearing socks, the hot oil just sat there until it lost all it's heat, now I have a nasty painful circular burn on my foot...

This looks amazing! I LOVE middle eastern food! I'm so glad you told us about the try-soaked-raw chickpeas. I've had trouble with canned chickpeas in the past. I must let you know, if you don't already, but may have forgotten: Garlic can make dogs very sick. There's a LOT of garlic in this recipe. I have two lovely dogs (one of them is an old girl with food sensitivities) and I'm very careful not to give them any onions or garlic. They are part of the allium family, and contain thiosulfate, which can cause oxidative damage to dogs' red blood cells, causing hemolytic anemia. Love your cooking, and love your old doggies! :)

that's the biggest bay leaf I've ever seen in my life.

This falafel recipe was absolutely fantastic. I don't have a food processor so I just pulsed the chickpeas in a blender in small batches and it worked out really well. I think even going a coarser grind is doable and gives you a more interesting texture; I let the falafel dough sit in the fridge overnight before shaping and they really held together well. Very tasty, one of the best things I've made in my life and definitely better than the restaurant stuff.

"extract a ton of garlic flavor while inhibiting allicin" * Brad Leone will remember this *

Michael Solomonov is a culinary genius! The go-to guy here in the states for Israeli cuisine. Been fortunate enough to eat at Zahav several times.

I like Taim in NYC but I think King of Falafel & Shwarma in Astoria (or truck on 5th ave) is wayyyyy superior. Perfect outside crunch and fluffy interior

That's what exactly happened to me last week when I tried making with canned chickpeas and it was a falafel experience, I added some boiled potatoes and some bread crumbs to bind it together.

Man I love you're channel because you show in REAL time the transitions and processes that it takes to make these dishes properly.. most cooking shows are too choppy in editing and aren't realistic as far as what step takes how much time vs technique to efficiently and comfortablly get through a recipe.

I love your living space. It shows you actually live in your home and yard like a real person, not a mannequin in a sterile show house!

Kenji, I made this recipe today and everyone loved the crap out of it. Thanks a lot man! I'm gonna keep this recipe in my repertoire.

Man You never disappoint, just don't be afraid to add water to your falafel mix to bind it, and a tiny bit of baking soda will give it a darker crust

I got a recipe from my favorite street vendor n Downtown Brooklyn when I was leaving the city many years ago, he always refused to tell me so the last day in the neighborhood I went and bought one, then got down on my knees and told him I was leaving and I didn't want to live without that recipe to take with me - he relented, your style is good but the differences are these - soak the chickpeas with 1/2 tsp of baking soda, use a grinder not a processor with the small-hole disc, and he just used cilantro and mint - but most importantly also a small yellow onion to provide juicyness and sugars so the outside gets dark brown - also, if you grow cilantro and let it go to seed you will get fresh coriander seed to use and freeze - the flavor difference is huge - Also, his tahini lemon sauce had only 1 clove of garlic, and a good dash of soy sauce!

You, sir, are an honorary Arab in my book. By the way, that's the exact brand of tahini my family uses. Good choice.

As a fan I knew I'd love this video based on the thumbnail. As a dad I knew I would once he made the fal-awful joke

That intro/outro makes me feel like i'm in 4th grade. Teacher is wheeling in a TV and we're about to watch a science video lol.

I just love how Jamon opens his eyes wide when he takes a bite of food from Kenji's hand. Cute, makes me laugh each time.

I tried to make falafel from yellow split peas, added some finely grated carrots and a little of chickpea flour, just to make sure everything holds together. Turned out to be better than the original!

You always make everything look so approachable (besides the number of dishes!). I love your cooking show so much, thank you for sharing!

Hey Kenji, thanks for this! I fell in love with falafel back in my college days at a place called Falafel King on Pearl Street in Boulder, CO. Now, ~30 years later, I have given up looking for good falafel here in Seattle. Now I don't need a restaurant to get my fix.

That crunch at the end made me hungry and I just ate 😭 this look awesome, I have to try them out!

"guys, gals, and non-binary pals" j. kenji lopez-alt says trans rights

I've been binge watching a ton of your videos, and the part that gets me the most is, your dogs... they literally eat everything, my dogs would occasionally turn their nose away from stuff. lol

In the first minute Kenji explains why I’ve never succeeded making falafel and makes one of his best dad jokes to date! 🙌

try to switch some of the chickpeas with dry fava beans for egyptian style falafel

Love this recipe! I make these once a week now (and had never made falafel before). If you are having trouble getting the mix to stick together into a ball, you probably need to chop it finer in the food processor (based on my experience).

Shout out to the unreasonably sized bay leaf that first appeared in the pickled fresno video. I see you back there!

Hey Kenji! I actually made this exact recipe from serious eats within the past year. It was delicious! Super excited to watch you do it. Gonna make it again soon. Thanks for always including little bits of knowledge in these videos.

There's a family owned and operated falafel drive up on Steven's Creek Blvd near the San Jose airport...their falafels in a pita are worth the wait (get there early) and get the banana milk shake.

I feel like this cooking channel is the best thing to come out of this god forsaken pandemic. Love your work sir!

My wife asked me to make falafel yesterday, think this is what im having for lunch tomorrow! Thanks once again kenji, also The Food Lab is an amazing cookbook!

Another variation I like is adding toasted pine nuts to the filling or exterior. Kind of like kibbeh.

Michael Solomonov is such a brilliant chef. I've been to Zahav, Dizengoff, and of course Federal Donuts, and I never fail to be amazed.

For those not wanting to deep fry,chef John makes a similar recipe with soaked,pulse chopped garbanzos and forms them in small flattened patties and shallow fries, that shape fits well in pita...

Lemon seeds are going to make that tahini bitter even after strained out, right?

Omg the last frame of this video with your dog in mid-jump is PURE JOY

This is great Kenji. I was amazed when I watched the owner at an Armenian grocery walk me through the prep of his falafel and tahini sauce when he dumped a bunch of white solid into the sauce and called it "lemon salt." I read the package and it was literal citric acid, food grade.

Kenji I've said this before, but these videos are so great man. Learn so much in every video!

I have wanted to make falafel for years. Found the video a few weeks ago, watched it three times, and finally made these last night. A wonderful experience and super-delicious, crispy falafel! Thank you Kenji for helping to make my cooking dreams come true!

0:41. What the hell were you thinking man? Haha

Yes! Love the vegetarian recipes coming through 🙌🏽👌🏽 always appreciated!

man your kitchen is the stuff of dreams. that detachable sink head! Also falafels 10/10

After years and years searching how to I make falafel and not to destroyed, finaly i found what is the sicret…”not use chickpeas from can”! Brilliant and thank you so so much ❤

The ending was absolute 90s gold.

Kenji - Id like to thank you again for all of these videos - away from my friends and coworkers because of the lockdown - these videos are one of main sources of entertainment and fun.

Thank you KZfaq algorithm for this!! I got your book out of the library late last year and really enjoyed it, especially being from a chemistry background myself :)

OMG this came out just as I opened some bad store bought felafel and I was thinking to myself "How can I make these at home"!!!

Ziyad is a very popular brand Serving with pita bread, tomato, and cucumber along with tahini goes a long way!

13:51 he found a use for the giant bay leaf

It’s great to see a highly skilled chef cooking at home in his PJs! No fluff. I love it!!!

The Egyptian version is made with fava beans in place of chickpeas. I like that version even better, stays more moist

I’m over here eyeing that box of corn and peppers. Can’t wait until my local produce stand opens for the season.

Hit us with valuable info and a dad joke in the first minute... that's why I love watching ya.

I have now made this recipe four times and I love it so much, this is the EASIEST falafel recipe, and makes perfect delicious falafel every time.

Home grown hard neck garlic is so much better than soft neck garlic from the grocery store. I grew it this past year for the first time. Soon we are going to plant for next year. I have several wonderful varieties.

tons of useful information esp about garlic and how to manipulate the allicyn

Just made these last night from your recipe on Serious Eats. De-freaking-licious.

Very nice! Found your channel 'cos Brian Lagerstrom loves you and gave you major praise. Love the down to earth cooking in a modest kitchen backed by some proper science about why stuff works from a cooking perspective!

I have made them with precooked chickpeas and I added some flour and some baking powder!!! it puffs up and it gets reaaaaly beautiful! I will try your recipe too

Wonderful recipe and lesson. I used Chili Crisp instead of garlic since you encouraged improvisation, along with the herbs. Thank you.

Lol my falafel fell apart because I was worried that my mother was going to yell at me for making a mess but it wasn’t that hard. Definitely will try again

My mom taught me that corn starch can used to help thicken the falafel paste and make it less likely to fall apart when frying if you only have canned chickpeas at home :)

I recommend you to add a baking powder in to the mixture to make it fluffier. As for the ingredient goes, I'd add shallots or onions as well. For the tahini sauce, you may try the same recipe with additional strained yoghurt and a little bit olive oil.

0:42 I really appreciate that dad joke Kenji

Hey Kenji, would you mind making a video showing your knife collection. I remember you recommending a few throughout your videos but I don't remember which videos you mentioned them in.

I've just made this and both the falafel and the sauce are amazingly delicious. I served it with a red cabbage coleslaw, which is not traditional but works really well together 🙂. Thanks Kenji!

kenji's vids are so pleasing to watch

Thank you so much for the heads up! I watched this and made them using some of the information gained and literally night and day for my falafels!!!! Thank you

I appreciate the tip about adding flour to make the canned garbanzo beans work. Even if the texture isn't as good as raw beans, it still displays a can-do attitude.

That was one of the smoothest garlic preps I've ever seen

Minor nitpick: you absolutely can make falafel with canned chickpeas. Maybe it depends on the brand of chickpeas, but I used to prep a garbanzo base which would be made into hummus and falafel--all using big (probably around a gallon) sized cans. It's worth mentioning we used egg--which invalidates most recipes "vegan aim" for this dish

I put some olive oil in the mix, and bake the balls in a cast iron aebelskiver pan at 400° F. I use those universal stamped metal tongs for turning when they start to get brown on the bottom. I like the idea of using mint, I will try that.

Honestly a great comparison is the texture of ground weed. When I tried this recipe at home I was shocked at how similar the texture was. Tasted great btw.

Me: *smokes a joint* Also me: "I could stare at those frying falafels for days"

I'm spoiled in Philly with cook and solo restaurants. Michael Solomonov is a fantastic chef.

You seem to be preemptive of all my cooking questions lately. However my immediate shortfall is a flatbread to go with your yummy looking falafel. Can you do a khobez style bread? Many thanks for the great videos, James.

Greetings from Palestine! ♥️🇵🇸 Great video as always.

👍I love how Kenji cooks. Definitely going to try his method.

Holding a pan of boiling oil, whilst you've got bare feet. You're a brave man Kenji!

I just made these falafel and they were by far the best I've ever made. Amazingly fluffy. At first I found the chickpeas weren't sticking together, so I just pulsed them a bit more and they stuck together very well.