Spicy Chickpeas – Be my Snack Anytime…

Talking about an easy snack…

These chickpeas usually ‘dress up’ my homemade Hummus, but being salty, spicy, crispy and soft at the same time, they are a great snack on their own. They are so tasty that if I do need them to decorate the Hummus dish, I have to pour them straight from the pan onto the Hummus or else they’ll be gone before they’ll make it…

You will need:

1 cup Cooked Chickpeas

1½ tbsp. Olive Oil

2 tsp. Semolina Flour

2 tsp. Sweet Paprika

½ tsp. Cumin

½ tsp. Turmeric

½ tsp. Black Pepper

¼ tsp. Smoked Paprika

½ tsp. Coarse Garlic Salt

Let’s Do This!

If you already had a chance to make (or even read) Afooda’s Hummus post, you probably got the idea of soaking and cooking the chickpeas…I’m reminding you- it is simple, but it requires advance planning and some ‘babysitting’ while cooking… Here is a quick reminder how to get your dry chickpeas cooked to perfection.

[For more details and photos on how to cook your own chickpeas go to our Hummus post.]

The night before, soak chickpeas in a large bowl with generous amount of cold water (at least twice their volume). The chickpeas need to soak for a minimum of 10 hours and can be left soaking for up to almost 48 hours; after that they start to sprout. When soaking, the water will turn a little yellowish and I encourage you to change the soaking water every four hours or so. Around here it became a house rule that whoever happens to see soaking chickpeas in yellowish water, changes the water. 🙂 Usually good results can be achieved after an over night soak.

Drain the water and put the chickpeas in a large pot. Add baking soda and cook, stirring constantly over high heat for just a few minutes (2-3 minutes). Add cold water and bring to a boil. Continue cooking over medium heat stirring every so often and skimming off any foam and skins that float. Depending on the freshness of the chickpeas, after about 30-45 minutes of cooking they will become very tender but not mushy; to check, take out 3 chickpeas (careful they are hot!) and one at a time press between your thumb and finger. They all should break up easily. Drain the chickpeas. They are now cooked and ready.

O.K.! Now you got your cooked chickpeas…

Let’s make some Spicy Chickpeas:

This recipe is for an individual snacking portion, but of course I encourage you to double it or triple it if you’d like to have more…

The easy way to coat the chickpeas is by shaking them. This is why I like to use a container that I can seal and shake them around in easily. Place the drained, cooked chickpeas in a container.

First add the semolina flour and move them around until they are all evenly coated.

Add all spices and garlic salt.

Seal the container and shake it gently for even coating.

Use a pan in which the chickpeas can all be equally spread touching the bottom of the pan.

Start by heating the olive oil well on high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the coated chickpeas to the pan.

Cook for 6-8 minutes on high heat.

Give them a little shake every so often so they will roll and be cooked evenly.

That’s it, time to snack on!

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Quick Recipe:

Spicy Chickpeas-

[Placing the Cooked Chickpeas in sealed container is the easiest way to coat them]

Coat Cooked Chickpeas with Semolina Flour.

Add Sweet Paprika, Cumin, Turmeric, Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika and Garlic Salt.

Shake gently in a sealed container for even coating.

Cook in Olive Oil on high heat for 6-8 minutes.

Toss and shake the pan for even cooking.