EV’s Take: Great Texture, and Solid Option to Fill Out a Dish
I’m gonna be honest—when I decided to try out frozen falafel, I was concerned.
I mean, what says “mouthful of dry sand” like a thawed falafel?
But fortunately, I was mistaken!
Texture was actually the forté of Afia Traditional Falafel.
It’s fluffy on the inside, but has a hard enough shell to keep its shape and offer a crisp crunch.
It’s also extremely easy to cook. I cooked it a few different ways, and I liked it best panfried, because the falafel coating really sopped up the olive oil from the pan and gave it a rich, fatty taste.
The main downside is that the flavors were muted. There was a nice coriander undertaste, but I had to focus pretty hard to find it.
I don’t think the lack of flavor is a dealbreaker, though. You just need to let other ingredients hold the center stage of flavor, and cast these falafel balls as the strong supporting cast that they are.
What is Afia Falafel made of?
Afia Traditional Falafel is made of:
- Soaked garbanzo beans
- Water
- Sunflower oil
- Onion
- Salt
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Baking soda
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Cayenne pepper
Overall, pretty pure ingredients.
The only thing to watch out for is sunflower oil as the third ingredient.
Since it’s not “high oleic” sunflower oil, it contains a high amount of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats.
Omega-6s are healthy in small amounts, but if you eat too much of them, they can cause inflammation.
Plus, sunflower oil is more prone to oxidation when you heat it, which can create harmful compounds.
To minimize oxidation, your best bet is to bake it at a lower temperature, around 350-375°F.
I personally don’t worry too much about imperfect ingredients as long as I eat diverse foods and lean toward unprocessed foods. But, of course, you get to create whatever food philosophy works for you 🙂.
Afia Traditional Falafel nutrition
| Serving Size | 1/3 a container (5 falafel, or 85g) |
| Calories | 230 |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Saturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 600mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 26g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6g |
| Total Sugars | 1g |
| Protein | 7g |
How to cook Afia Falafel
Here are some simple ways to cook your falafel:
- Oven: Place 3 falafels on a baking sheet an inch apart, and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes (or to avoid oxidation, try 350 for 13-15 minutes).
- Microwave: A 30-60 second zap should be enough for 3 falafel balls.
- Skillet: Oil up a frying pan, and cook the falafel on medium heat for five minutes.
- Airfryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375°F and cook the frozen falafel for 10-12 minutes; shake them halfway through to even out the crisping.
Where can I buy Afia Traditional Falafel?
Afia is easy to find! It’s sold at most major grocery stores.
Check out this link to find all the stores near you that sell it.
How did EV eat Afia Traditional Falafel?
I cooked my first batch in classic falafel-wrap style.
I pan-fried a pita with olive oil for a golden, crisp base.
Then I smeared on some homemade hummus. After all, what goes better with chickpea balls than chickpea cream?
The hummus was super easy to put together by the way—I made it in my Vitamix! I just blended up:
- Chickpeas
- Chickpea “juice”
- Tahini
- Olive oil
- A lemon (the actual fruit! Not just the juice)
- Raw garlic
- Cumin
- A dash of olive oil, sesame seeds, and parsley on top for extra flair
And voila!
I spread that hummus on the pita, and then laid a bed of sliced cukes and tomatoes. Then I placed the falafel balls on top, and topped them with some creamy lemon dill sauce.
For the creamy lemon dill sauce, I used Kite Hill’s sour cream and mixed it up with dill, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper.
And let me tell you—this cream sauce was the winner of this dish. This savory flavor-blaster pulled everything together and made it something special.
With the creamy lemon dill sauce, the lemon garlic hummus, and the fresh veggies, I didn’t mind at all that the falafel balls were bland. I didn’t even notice! It was a solid complementary item, and didn’t need to play the main star.
How else can you eat Afia Falafel?
After I finished the yummy dish, I was cleaning hummus out of my beard, when it hit me: “I want more falafel balls in my life.” But then I started thinking, it’d be pretty limiting if every time I want to eat falafel, I have to eat it on pita bread with hummus.
I realized I had been boxing myself in by only using falafel in ways I’ve seen restaurants do it.
So I experimented a bit. I put a few Afia Falafel in the microwave so that they’d come out a bit softer.
Then I mashed the falafel balls up and spread them on a toasted bagel with a smear of the creamy lemon dill sauce and some parsley.
And it was delightful!
This made me realize that I can use Afia Falafel as a sandwich spread. Which was great news for me, because I LOVE sandwiches, and am always looking for new spreads and toppings.
I also think these would work swimmingly as “meatballs” in a pasta with red sauce.
What do you think?
Have you tried Afia Traditional Falafel? Did you use them to build a Mediterranean feast? Did you like them? Tell us in the comments!
