Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Well, its another way to add some healthy crunch to your diet. Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber. These roasted chickpeas are pretty addictive and keeps your bag of potato chips at bay. It is a great on-the-go snack and you can munch anytime guilt-free. What more to say, snack on it and you will love it just like i did. Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans (soaked)

1/2tbsp Olive Oil

1/2tsp or less Chilli powder

Salt

How to:

• Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas for 2-3 whistles. (Alternatively, you can use canned garbanzo beans. Make sure you rinse thoroughly and pat dry.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Lay the chickpeas over a paper towel and dry'em completely.

• Place them on a baking sheet and add the oil, chilli powder and salt.

• Mix'em with your hands and make sure they aren't crowded.

• Bake for 45 mins, until crispy.

• Let it cool on the sheet before storing it.
• Serve as a evening snack with tea or coffee.

Baked Falafel & Tahini Dip

Be ready to munch as many falafels as you can without any guilt. For a crispier Falafel, the mixture is very well flattened and might look like chickpea patties. Chickpeas are rich in protein and very good for your diet. Normally the deep-fried falafels we eat at the restaurants use uncooked chickpeas. I have also used uncooked chickpeas to prepare the mixture. If you are not ok with it, feel free to use the canned or pressure cooked chickpeas. Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Chickpeas/garbanzo beans (soaked and drained)

1/4 cup Onion (minced)

2-3 Garlic cloves

1tsp baking powder

1tsp Coriander powder

1tsp Cumin powder

1tsp Lemon juice

1tsp Olive oil

1/2tsp dried red pepper flakes

2tbsp Cilantro (chopped)

1/2tsp Salt

1/4tsp ground Black pepper

How to:

• Blend/grind all the above ingredients coarsely and keep aside.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Shape the mixture into equal size balls, flatten it out and place it on the baking sheet.

• Bake for 15 mins on each side or until browned.

• Let cool and serve warm with the tahini dip.

Dip:

1/4 cup Tahini paste

1 1/2tsp Lemon juice

2tbsp water

Cilantro, minced

Suamc (optional)

• Mix together the above ingredients and add more/less water for desired consistency. 

• Sprinkle sumac and serve as a side.

Pooranam Kozhukaatai(Sweet dumpling) & Sundal (Chickpea) & Participation Certificate

Hi friends, Wish you all Happy Pillaiyaar Chathurthi. Hope you all finished your pooja and tasted kozhukattais and sundal. I couldn't post step by step pics today, as it was getting late for the pooja and i rushed with the cooking. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flour

2 cups Water

1tsp Oil

1 pinch Salt

1 cup Coconut (grated)

1/3 cup Jaggery (grated)

1/4 cup Chana dal 

1/2tsp Cardamom extract

2tsp Water

For dough:

• In a bowl, mix together flour,salt, water and oil.
• Heat a non-stick pan, pour the batter and cook by stirring continuously until dough-like consistency forms.

• Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Cover the dough with a wet paper towel to prevent drying out.

For filling:

• Cook the chana dal with enough water and a pinch of salt. Run under cold water and keep it aside.
• Heat a sauce pan at medium flame, add the jaggery and water.

• Cook until it starts to thicken, then add the grated coconut and cardamom extract and continue cooking for 3-4 mins.
• Then add the cooked chana dal, mix well and cook for a couple of mins more. 

• Switch off and let cool.

For kozhukattai:

How to:

• Apply some oil on the palm, take a lime-size dough, flatten out thinly on the palms by gently pressing with fingers.
• Then place a tsp of the sweet filling on the pressed dough and gently pull the sides and bring it together.
• Follow the same method with the remaining dough and filling.

• Now grease the idli plates with oil, arrange the prepared kozhukaatis and steam'em for 12-15 mins. 

Serve hot or warm.

Sundal:

Ingredients:

1 cup Chickpea

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

3 dry red chilli (broken)

1 pinch Asafoetida

5-6 Curry leaves

2tsp Coconut (grated)

2tsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• Soak the chickpea overnight and pressure cook'em with enough water to immerse along with salt until one whistle.

• Drain the cooked chickpea, run under cold water and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add dry red chilli, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. (I was out of curry leaves, so, didn't use it.)
• Then add the cooked chickpea, mix well, let cook for a min or two, followed by grated coconut.

• Reduce the flame, cook for another min and then switch off. Serve warm.

Also received the participation certification from Akila's "Learning to cook"          (http://akilaskitchen.blogspot.com/) for participating in her event 'Dish name starts with A'. Thanks Akila.

Chickpea Curry/Kadalai Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas

1 onion diced

2 tomatoes diced

1/2 grated Coconut

1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1tsp Fennel seeds

1 Cinnamon stick

1tbsp Chilli powder

1 1/2tbsp Coriander powder

Salt

Water

Oil

How to:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight in a bowl with 4 cups of water. They become soft and doubles in size.

• Pressure cook the chickpeas with enough water along with salt.

• In a skillet, heat oil and add onions and saute until it turns golden brown.
• Now add diced tomatoes and cook till it gets mashed up.

• Let it cool and grind it with the coconut and make a fine paste.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add fennel seeds, cinnamon and ginger-garlic paste. Cook till the raw smell disappears.
• Now add the ground mixture and cook well along with a 1 1/2 cups water and salt.
• Add chilli powder and coriander powder and cook. Make sure there is sufficient water, as the masala may get burnt at the bottom.
• Once the raw coconut smell disappears, add the cooked chick peas and cook for further 2 mins.

• Adjust the salt for taste and garnish it with cilantro.

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Sending this recipe to the event "Cooking with Whole Food - Legumes & Beans (CWF - LB)" by Nithu Bala. Also check  

Kiran's Future Guest Hosts Page.