Chickpea Adventures: Diverse Chickpea Creations Beyond the Traditional Chole

Chickpeas you might be knowing, belong to the legume family. If you hear of the term ‘garbanzo beans’, then be assured they are your good old chole or chickpeas. They are a good source of fibre, proteins, vitamins and minerals. They are round in shape with a beige colour, but there are other varieties like black, green or red. When it comes to benefits, you can say they are beneficial for the brain & nervous system functioning and are also immensely instrumental in reducing Type II diabetes. Apart from these, there are numerous other benefits to it.

Also read Blood sugar Down: Beating It With The Power of ancient Grains

Chickpeas Recipes

Whenever you hear of chickpeas, the first thing that comes to every Indian mind is the hearty chole bhatura recipe. However, it can be used in a variety of ways provided you know them. Today we will discuss some of these recipes so you can try some hearty dishes made from it.

Hummus

The first recipe that comes to mind when you think of chickpeas, after chole, is hummus. It is a traditional Middle Eastern dip which is creamy, smooth and good in taste. Here is how you can make it:

•       Rinse ½ cup dried chickpeas and soak them for 8-9 hours.
•       Next day again, rinse twice and cook it in a pressure cooker in 1.5 cups of water with ½ a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of baking soda. Pressure cook it for 11-12 minutes
•       Mash it into a fine paste where there is no hardness in it.
•       Roast sesame seeds till they are crisp and start crackling after which they are to be cooled and added to a mixer or food processor and make it into a fine texture.
•       To it add a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice as per your taste, 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and salt, 1 teaspoon of cumin powder and a sprinkle of paprika and blend to a fine consistency.
•       Next add the mashed chickpeas and blend till it is smooth and fluffy. If required you can add 2-3 tablespoons of water and your hummus is ready. It can be served with pita bread or roasted veggies and the rest can be stored in a refrigerator.

Veg Shami Kabab

It is the vegetarian version of its chicken counterpart. It is a very tasty, crispy and succulent starter or snacking item that is served with green chutney and onion slices. Here is how it is made:

•       Pressure cook for 10-15 minutes 1 cup dried black chickpeas after soaking it overnight in enough water in 2 cups water with a ½ teaspoon of salt.
•       Mash the chickpeas in a large bowl to make it into a coarse mixture.
•       To it add finely chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt as required, gram flour, ginger paste and mix well.
•       Make small round apt ties out of them.
•       Shallow fry the kebabs in hot oil till they are crisp.
•       Garnish and serve with mint or coriander leaves, onion slices and chutney.

Chana Chaat

It is a very tasty, tangy and easy-to-make chaat with spices, onions, tomatoes and lemon. Here is how you can make it:

•       Soak 1 cup kabuli chana overnight and pressure cook it with ½ a teaspoon of salt. A potato can be placed in a bowl in the same cooker and cooked along with it for 2-3 whistles.
•       Peel the potato and chop it into small pieces after it is done and keep it aside.
•       Chop 1 medium onion, tomato, a green chilli and some coriander leaves.
•       In a mixing bowl, add I teaspoon each of Kashmiri red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, regular & black salt, ½ a teaspoon of dry mango powder for tanginess, finely chopped onions, tomatoes, chillies and coriander leaves.
•       Add the chopped potatoes and boiled chickpeas and stir well till all the ingredients are mixed perfectly.
•       Serve it in a bowl by garnishing it with sev, crushed papdi or pani poori.

That aside there are many ways in which you can use chickpeas.