Instructions

• Do not use canned chickpeas. Place 2 cups dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in a large bowl and cover with at least 3 inches of water. Cover the bowl and soak 20–24 hours (beans will expand to about 5 cups). After soaking, rinse and drain well.
• While the beans soak or after draining, mince the peel from 1/4 preserved lemon and discard the pulp. Set the minced peel aside.
• Heat a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Dry-roast 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds and 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds just until very fragrant, stirring and watching carefully so they do not burn. Remove from heat and let cool. (If using ground spices instead, use 1 teaspoon ground cumin and/or 1 teaspoon ground coriander as listed in the ingredient notes and skip the toasting step.)
• Grind the cooled toasted cumin and coriander in a spice/coffee grinder or mortar and pestle until finely ground.
• Place the drained soaked chickpeas and the following ingredients in a large food processor: ground cumin and coriander, 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, 3–4 cloves garlic (minced), the minced preserved lemon peel, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
• Pulse the food processor in short bursts until the mixture is well-ground but still coarse and slightly chunky. Do not process into a smooth paste. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed. The mixture should hold together when pressed but not be a uniform purée.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl or keep it in the food-processor container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up. (You can prepare this in advance and refrigerate longer if desired.)
• After chilling, form the mixture into balls roughly the size of golf balls. Compress each ball firmly so it holds together; expect the uncooked balls to be somewhat loose and delicate but able to hold their shape when handled carefully. Place formed falafel on a plate and keep refrigerated until ready to fry.
• Pour oil for frying into a heavy skillet to a depth of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Heat the oil to 360–375°F (use an instant-read thermometer if you have one). If you do not have a thermometer, test by frying one small test falafel: it should sizzle immediately on contact and not become soggy.
• Once the oil is at temperature, carefully add a few falafel at a time to avoid overcrowding. Fry until a deep golden brown, about 2–3 minutes per side, turning carefully with a slotted spoon or tongs to brown evenly.
• Remove fried falafel with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Bring the oil back up to temperature between batches and repeat until all falafel are cooked.
• Serve the falafel immediately with the items listed under “For Serving”: Homemade Creamy Hummus and Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce (use vegan yogurt if desired).