They can be nutty and buttery, crisp or crunchy. You can eat them whole, pureed, or chopped. Think hummus, falafel, salads, soups, stews, curries and more.
You can call them garbanzo beans or chickpeas, but once you start experimenting with these legumes you’ll get hooked on their adaptability.
Chickpeas are wildly healthy. They are full of fiber, protein, calcium, iron, and can help control blood sugar. They are inexpensive and easy to work with.
Here are a few tips: chickpeas do not like moisture. If you’re using canned chickpeas, be sure to drain them, gently rinse under cold running water, and then drain again. It’s best to place the drained chickpeas on a clean tea towel and gently rub back and forth to thoroughly dry. This will also help release the skins which you can discard. The skin is perfectly edible and does not need to be removed.
Also, the liquid that comes inside a can of chickpeas is called aquafaba and it turns out to be rich in protein. It can actually be used as a replacement for eggs in making mayonnaise, batters, etc.
Making dried chickpeas is also quite simple. It’s best to soak them for at least several hours in a bowl of clean cold water, or soak overnight. Many cooks add a pinch of salt or baking soda; the baking soda raises the pH of the water and breaks down the chickpea skins, making it easier to peel them if you like. You then drain the chickpeas and cook them in a few inches of fresh water until just tender; you want them to still have a “bite,” like al dente pasta, about 30 to 45 minutes after they come to a boil.
If you’re short on time, you can also do a quick boil: pour boiling water and a pinch of salt over dried chickpeas and let them sit for about 30 minutes. Then simmer them until tender.
Hummus with roasted, spiced chickpeas
Why would anyone make hummus when there are so many good packaged varieties available? The answer is twofold: there’s nothing quite like a good, creamy, homemade hummus full of whatever flavors you choose to add. And secondly, it takes very little time at all.
You can use canned or boxed chickpeas or boil up some of your own. The home-cooked chickpeas will result in a flufflier, lighter, creamier hummus, but the canned variety will also be far superior to what you can buy. This version is light and full of lemon, tahini and garlic. It’s topped with chickpeas and pine nuts that are roasted with lemon, chili flakes and cumin.
Pro tip: You can take cooked chickpeas and simmer them in a bit of water with cumin for 3 minutes to “reawaken” them, then use that cooking water to help make the hummus creamy and light.
INGREDIENTS
The hummus:
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- Cumin to taste
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from the lemon you zested)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
The roasted, spiced chickpeas:
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, thoroughly dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dash dried red chili flakes or hot pepper sauce
- Dash cumin
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped walnuts or almonds
For serving:
- About 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Warm pita bread, cut into small pieces or pita chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the hummus: Place the cooked chickpeas in a medium pot and barely cover with water. Add a dash of salt and cumin and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit. Drain the chickpeas (make sure to keep the water you reconstituted them in) and thoroughly dry in a clean tea towel.
- Place the dried chickpeas in the container of a blender or food processor along with the garlic, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and about ¼ teaspoon of cumin, and blend until chunky.
- Add ¼ cup of the water you cooked the chickpeas in and blend until smooth. If the mixture looks very thick, add another few tablespoons of the chickpea water. Blend and taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, cumin and lemon juice as needed. Place in a serving bowl or plate, smoothing the mixture out.
- Make the roasted chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the chickpeas in a quarter sheet pan, cookie sheet or ovenproof skillet, and mix with the olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes and cumin.
- Roast on the middle shelf for about 8 minutes, stirring the mixture once or twice and making sure nothing is burning or getting too brown. Stir in the nuts and roast for another 5 to 8 minutes. You want the chickpeas to be crispy and just starting to pop open. Remove from the oven and taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, chili flakes or cumin as needed.
- Spoon the mixture, while it is still warm, on top of the hummus and drizzle with the olive oil. Serve with warm pita bread or pita chips.
Chickpea “Greek” salad
This is a vegetarian take on a classic Greek salad. Here the protein and star of the salad is chickpeas sauteed with garlic, olive oil and lemon. It is served with tomatoes, feta cheese and sweet colorful peppers with basil drizzled with a lemony dressing. Serves 2 to 3.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 medium tomato, cubed
- 1 cup feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup pitted green and or black olives
- 1 small sweet red, yellow, or orange pepper, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 lemon, cut into thin slices and cut in half
- Sprigs fresh basil or thyme for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the basil (or thyme) salt and pepper and cook for 10 seconds.
- Add the chickpeas and stir to coat; cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir.
- Place the chickpeas and any juices from the bottom of the skillet into the middle of a serving bowl or plate.
- Arrange the tomatoes, feta, peppers and olives in small “piles” around the chickpeas. Arrange the lemon slices around the edge of the plate or bowl. Drizzle the top with the remaining olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Chana masala
This is my version of a favorite northern Indian dish, chana masala, which means “spiced chickpeas.”
The spices here include turmeric, garam masala, ginger, garlic and chilis cooked with a tomato sauce and blended. More spices are added along with cooked chickpeas and cilantro and simmered until thickened. Serve with Indian bread, rice and lemon wedges. Serves 2 to 3.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 small green chili, chopped with or without seeds (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds2 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you are a cilantro hater)
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup plain tomato sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon sour cream, creme fraiche or yogurt
Garnish:
- Several sprigs fresh cilantro (or parsley)
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- Rice
- Indian bread
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes
- Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the chili, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon of the cilantro and a good sprinkle of salt; cook, stirring for 3 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the cooked chickpeas, and the tomato sauce and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to the container of a blender or food processor; blend until thick and chunky.
- In the same skillet, set over low heat, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil.
- Add the cinnamon stick, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, being careful not to let the spices burn.
- Add the tomato/spice puree and stir well to fully incorporate everything. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of water, and a pinch of salt and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and remaining cilantro and stir to create a creamy sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
- Serve hot, garnished with cilantro leaves, lemon wedges, rice and Indian bread, if desired.
More chickpea recipes:
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This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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