Long story short, I have decided to attempt to develop a foolproof recipe for falafel parm, whereby I make falafel patties in place of chicken, and then make an imitation chicken parm out of it.
There will be several aspects to this, including homemade gratable vegan cheese with kappa carageenan for meltiness, but that’s an entire other part of the endeavor. Meanwhile I do need a good patty recipe that hits many of the same notes as a breaded & fried chicken patty or cutlet.
I’m well aware that good falafel is made with whole chickpeas soaked overnight and lots of herbs. I love that kind, but it’s not what I’m going for here. I personally also love cheap falafel, and for my falafel parm, I want something closer to box mix that kinda ends up in the same flavor-space as frozen breaded chicken patties - better than school lunch, but not highfalutin’ by any means.
I suppose I could just look into a boxed mix, but I figured I’d ask and see if anybody has any favorite recipes perhaps starting from chickpea flour, or maybe dried chickpeas cooked in an Instant Pot or something like that.
I’m stuck with boxed falafel mixes here. And sadly most of them are not very good. I’ve tried a several. The only one I found acceptable enough to buy again my area is a brand called Tamam from Jordan. It’s not great, but it’s the best of the worst for me. I sometimes supliment it with fresh parsley (finely chopped) if I happen to have any. This is from a regular Canadian grocery store, so may be fairly common?
Anyhow, sorry I’m not much help. Good luck with your more ambitious falafel plans! Sounds great.