Fried Chickpeas with Mint and Cayenne
Friday took some effort, but the evening ended with Fried Chickpeas with Mint and Cayenne. I just remembered these amazing chickpeas and folks I just had to post this before it was too late, before by some accident, it ended up in my pile of forgotten recipes. That just could not happen.
Thursday did not end with the high that I wanted, it carried over onto Friday, much like that proverbial hangover. I wanted to sleep in but then there was work. I dragged through the day, and came home to hungry dad and kids, expecting something great for dinner, after all I was home earlier than other days. Someday, my family might equate that with needing a little rest. And yet without them these Fried Chickpeas with Mint and Cayenne, would not have been born.
Although, since we are doing this recipe backwards, it would be fair to acknowledge that I got some rest, quiet so called me time today. A large chunk of which I spent dealing with crazy lines at Trader Joe’s. To each our own. I have done roasted chickpeas before, however, I liked these pan fried chickpeas better, crisper outside and moister inside – the trade off? Some more grape seed oil. After all, everything in life is just that – a collection of choices and trade-offs.
The great thing about these chickpeas are that, while they make the perfectly addictive crisp and crunchy snack. They are also great as dinner. I served them with a barley pilaf or risotto, yogurt and pickled red onions. Oh! the pickled red onions are great even if you want to do this as a snack. In the interest of full disclosure, I had first stumbled upon this idea from this post, completely forgot about it and then dredged them up this Friday.
Surprisingly, the seasonings despite doing them from memory are close. I used amchoor or dried mango powder instead of lime zest and of course a few other fun things, just for fun. The general emphasis a combination of mid-eastern and Indian flavors, how can one go wrong?
A well seasoned snack of Fried Mint and Cayenne Chickpeas.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 or 2 tablespoons rice flour (optional, but adds to the crunch)
- 3/4 cup grapeseed oil
- Salt to taste or 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.5 teaspoon amchoor powder (dried mango powder) or sumac
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme
- Finely chopped cilantro
- Finely chopped red onions
Instructions
- Drain and dry the chickpeas. Toss with the rice flour if using.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chickpeas in batches and fry until crisp and golden. This will take about 15 minutes per batch.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Mix the salt, red cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, amchoor powder or sumac, dried mint, chopped thyme and cilantro in a mixing bowl.
- Toss the chickpeas with this mixture.
- Toss with the chopped cilantro and red onions. Serve warm.