Find out the number of calories in baked falafel, its nutritional value, and instructions on how to dish it out yourself, from the following article.
With Middle eastern cuisine becoming popular day by day in the West, it comes across as no surprise that culinary enthusiasts all over the world are conjuring up healthier innovations to various traditional Arab dishes, be it in the form of substituting ingredients or coming up with healthier alternatives to the traditional media and methods of cooking. Falafel is one such Middle Eastern dish which is a fritter made in the form of a patty, whose key ingredients are garbanzo (chickpeas) and bell beans (fava beans), along with minimal seasoning ingredients. Falafel patties can be had alone or as fillings in pita bread. When had alone, they are often topped with spicy, pickled vegetable salads, or are served alongside traditional Middle eastern dips, such as the exotic, creamy tahini sauces or the delectably flavored hummus dips. When prepared the traditional Middle Eastern way, falafel balls are deep-fried in cooking oil, which gives them quite a generous calorific value. That’s why, the health conscious faction of the global populace, whose taste buds tingle at the mention of Middle eastern street food, have come up with a baked version of this exotic fritter. Curious to find out the number of calories in baked falafel? Drool… oops!… read right ahead!
Baked Falafel Calories
While the number of calories in baked falafel is almost half those the number of calories in deep-fried falafel, baked falafel still cannot be considered as a low calorie snack option. While a single, standard sized, deep-fried falafel patty has approximately 230 calories waiting to bulge you out as soon as they get inside you, its baked counterpart ain’t far behind, with a whopping 175 calories locked inside its delicious confines! That being said, check out the following baked falafel nutrition table to get a load of the complete package.
| Serving Size = 1 | |
|---|---|
| Nutrient | Content Per Serving |
| Calcium | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Copper | 10% |
| Fats | 5 g |
| Folic Acid | 5% |
| Iron | 20% |
| Magnesium | 3% |
| Manganese | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 10% |
| Potassium | 111 mg |
| Proteins | 7 g |
| Selenium | 0.5% |
| Sodium | 410 mg |
| Thiamine | 3 % |
| Vitamin A | 18% |
| Vitamin B3 | 2% |
| Vitamin B5 | 1% |
| Vitamin B6 | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 25% |
| Vitamin E | 3% |
| Note: All nutritional values mentioned in this table are approximate. | |
Baked Falafel Recipe
Wondering what it takes to make baked falafel in the privacy of your own kitchen? Well, there are three things that you must absolutely have – the right ingredients, about 45 minutes, and an inclination to try something new! Here’s how you go about it.
Ingredients
- Garbanzo Beans – 2 cups, soaked
- Gram Flour/Corn Flour – 2 tablespoonfuls
- Tahini Paste – 2 tablespoonfuls
- Parsley (finely chopped) – ½ cup
- Spring Onions/Leek – ½ cup, finely chopped
- Lemon Juice – 2 tablespoonfuls
- Garlic Paste – ½ teaspoonful
- Cumin Powder – ½ teaspoonful
- Cayenne Pepper – ½ teaspoonful
- Egg – 1
- Oat Bran – ¼ cup
- Salt – as per taste
Method of Preparation
- Put all the ingredients together in a blender, including the spices and seasonings, and blend till the mixture assumes a nearly smooth texture.
- Roll the mixture into balls, with each patty ball being no larger than a standard ping-pong ball.
- Preheat heat oven to 350°F, and place a baking dish inside the oven while preheating.
- Place the patty balls on the preheated baking dish, put the dish inside the oven, and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes.
You can roll the uncooked patties over some sesame seeds before placing them inside the oven to bake. This will make the exteriors crispier, but it will also increase the cooking time by another 3 – 5 minutes. So what are you waiting for, go get some pita bread, a jar of hummus dip, and get set to enjoy this healthy alternative of one of the most popular exotic snacks in the world! Judging by how little time it takes to make, the ease of procuring the ingredients, and the ease of preparation, I bet you’d prefer dishing out these delectably healthy patties at home over those regular deep-fried, street food variants.
