Falafel is a dish that exposes every shortcut. The ratio of dried chickpeas to fresh herbs, the grind coarseness, the resting time, the oil temperature — every variable is legible in the final texture. Rina Younan, then a working chef and now Executive Director at Oakmont of Folsom, understood that the competition format could not change what the dish demanded.
Her falafel used dried chickpeas soaked overnight — never cooked, never canned — ground coarse enough to hold air pockets during frying. Cumin, coriander, fresh parsley and cilantro went in at the grind stage rather than folded in later, distributing flavor through every particle. She rested the formed balls for twenty minutes before frying at 375°F, which dried the surface and encouraged an even crust formation.
Bobby's version, the judges suggested, read as dense. When you start with canned chickpeas, the proteins have already been heat-denatured and the air structure is gone before you begin grinding.