Step 1
Place fava beans in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Soak for 2 days changing the water daily (in hot weather change the water twice daily).
Step 2
Soak chickpeas on the second day in a separate bowl in plenty of cold water.
Step 3
Drain beans and chickpeas and rinse under cold running water; drain again. Remove the skins from the fava beans and discard them. Do not skip that step or the falafel will not taste good.
Step 4
Combine fava beans chickpeas onion garlic and parsley leaves in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until pureed scraping the sides often to ensure everything is evenly processed to a smooth paste. Add cayenne pepper coriander cumin baking soda salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl; cover and let mixture rest for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Line a baking sheet or a large tray with waxed paper.
Step 6
Shape the mixture into 25 to 30 evenly sized patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet leaving at least 1/2 inch between them. Let rest uncovered for 30 minutes.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 8
Pour oil into the bottom of a large skillet until it just covers the bottom. Heat until oil is hot enough to sizzle a breadcrumb.
Step 9
Carefully lift the falafel from the waxed paper using a spatula. Fry a few falafel at a time and do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry until crisp and brown on the underside 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and fry on the other side until browned another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to a baking sheet. Place the finished falafel in the preheated oven to keep warm while you fry the rest adding more oil to the pan as needed.