• Assemble all ingredients.
• Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water with the baking soda overnight in the fridge, or ideally 24 hours.
• Strain and rinse the chickpeas very well.
• Lightly toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black peppercorns until fragrant. Blitz in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. (Otherwise you can use pre-ground coriander, cumin and black pepper)
• Add the chickpeas, washed herbs, onion, chili, garlic to blender and blend until smooth.
• Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the spices and salt.
• Allow this mix to rest at least an hour or ideally - overnight.
• Before cooking: Add the lemon zest to freshen up the the mix, add baking powder for fluffiness and mix everything very well.

To shape falafels

• Form falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a falafel scoop. I usually use about 2 tablespoon of mixture per falafel. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference.
• The falafel balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry. 

To cook

• Heat the oil in a pan or deep fat fryer to 190 C / 375 F
• Deep fry the falafels in batches and cook until golden brown on the outside - approx 3 minutes.
• Drain on paper towel and serve straight away!