Ground and fried chickpeas molded with spices into a mini Zeppelin and fried may not sound like much to celebrate. But pushed into a warmed pita along with shredded lettuce, fine slices of tomato, onion and maybe some turnip pickle then drizzled with tahini or a garlic-yogurt sauce, they becomes heaven. DC boasts a number of good reasonably-priced places to find falafel, among them these.

Moby Dick House of Kabobs, 1300 Connecticut Ave NW, 202 833 9788;

Amsterdam Falafel Shop, 425 18th St NW, 202 415 6489;

Zorba's Cafe, 1612, 20th St NW, 202 387 8555;

Old City Cafe, 1773 Columbia Rd NW, 202 232 1322.

To make your own, try this recipe.

Serves 4

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, finely ground
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted then finely ground
Salt and black pepper to taste
4-6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying


Drain chickpeas, cover with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Skim of any scum and let boil for 5 minutes, then simmer till tender, about an hour. Drain, reserving a cup of the water, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Put the first seven ingredients into a processor bowl pulse to a rough puree. (If it's impossibly stiff, add a little of the reserved chickpea water.) Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then add the baking powder and enough flour to stop become maleable enough to form balls without sticking.

Refrigerate the puree, covered, for several hours. Then form golf balls sized amounts into small torpedo shapes, rolling them in your palms. Wet your hands if the balls stick.

Fry a tester in 3 inches of hot oil. If it falls apart, add more flour. Don't crowd the pan with balls or the temperature will lower. Fry a few minutes all over till brown, then stuff into a warm pitta with your favorite fixings. Drizzle over tahini paste or garlic-flavored yogurt.

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