Saturday, November 08, 2008

October 26, 2008: Chilli & lime roasted chickpeas

Has anyone out there roasted chickpeas? I'd spied them as a seasoned snack in the health food aisle of the supermarket but never eaten them. I bookmarked a couple of recipes by Susan V earlier these year, but didn't get around to trying them until be'ershevaboheme6 had a shot and loved them.

Their descriptions had me anticipating a crunchy, nutty snack but that's not what I ended up with. My chickpeas soaked up the lime juice nicely, dried and shrunk and dried and shrunk, but didn't actually dry out to crunchiness. They were tasty and tender, to be sure, but hardly the chip substitute I'd been hoping for. Perhaps I just need to cook them longer and dehydrate them even further, though I fear they'll shrink away to nothing if I try!

6 comments:

  1. I LOVE roasted chickpeas. I've had best results by cooking them then roasting them at the very lowest temperature my oven does for, like, four hours. (I KNOW!!) I think the low temperature and long bake creates the ultimate crunchy snack - though obviously not a fast-food choice. Still, if you're home anyway it's no drama to just leave them roasting for ages, and the house gets a lovely smell to boot.

    I have to admit I don't make fancy spice mix toppings though, in fact I've been known to just shake a little bit of Keen's curry powder on them!

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  2. Salut Cindy, ça va?

    Susan V's blog is very good, isn't it? In fact the only two veg food blogs I have bookmarked currently are hers and yours. I recently made the following recipes of hers and I can recommend all of them if you are looking for some recipe suggestions (which you probably aren't):
    - Spicy Black Bean Hummus (with decorative scary spider made from a black olive)
    - Pumpkin and Black Bean Casserole
    - Roasted Vegetables with Tomato Charmoula and Quinoa
    - Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

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  3. Four hours, Lisa?! OK, I can probably afford to bake them longer then. :-) I can take the time, my intention was to make a double batch on Sunday night and take them to work for desk snacking.

    Hiya dmargster! I'm a regular reader of Susan V's blog too - it's a privilege to be included in such select veg blogging company. :-) Not only do I read, but I tag copious numbers of her recipes for future cooking!

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  4. I always like Susan V's recipes too - but never tried making my own roasted chickpeas - I have bought them and the ones I have tasted are a great crunchy snack - very moreish

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  5. I'm sitting here eating my own roasted chickpeas after you planted the seed in my mind. I had already soaked them (for 2 days), so while I was getting ready to go out, I simmered them for about an hour. Then back in the fridge. Then tonight I added some Morrocan spice and chilli flakes with olive oil and put them in the oven for half an hour. The result is some moist and some crunchy. Loving the variation of texture.
    Think I will just eat them all myself :)

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  6. Johanna, I think buying a batch might be a good idea - it'll give me the gist of what I should aim for (and even whether or not I'll like them)!

    Cool, SWF! You're a better prepared cook than I if you're soaking dried chickpeas. :-)

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