Slow Cooked Curried Chickpeas

Y'all know my penchant for long recipes and ones that call for lots of ingredients. That's why I couldn't resist trying to make this curried chickpea dish published on Food Republic. And the bonus was that I could work with a number of Indian spices that I currently have an ongoing love affair with.

Now while none of the steps are difficult, the 10-hour cooking time required that I get a much earlier start in the kitchen than normal. Much coffee was consumed to keep my brain functioning.

Anyway, here's how it all went down, along with some personal notes along the way.

The chickpeas, water, cardamom, cassia (cinnamon), cloves, turmeric, and salt went into the slow cooker. I had no luck finding Indian red chili, so substituted some crushed red pepper flakes. The lid went on the slow cooker, the temp cranked up to high, and then I was off to start the masala.

A note about the water -- the recipe calls for 5-6 1/2 cups, which seemed a rather weird way to express the amount. I used the full 3 cups, because I did have some concerns about there not being enough liquid to cook the chickpeas.

Small-diced onions were put into a pan and fried until golden. While the onions were getting a tan, the garlic and ginger got a quick puree. Then the same puree treatment was given to the tomatoes.

Another pause in the action here to talk about the tomatoes. When I first read the recipe, I thought the author meant two cans of whole, peeled tomatoes. After rereading it, I came to realize only two whole, peeled tomatoes from a can were needed. Also, I don't know why the recipe calls for 1 medium tomato (not from a can). If anyone can explain, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Back to the action.

The garlic/ginger/tomato puree was added to the onions. Then some some awesome spices -- coriander, cumin, turmeric -- were added, along with a pinch more red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. I had to give the green mango paste a pass, because there was none to be found.

The aroma was amazing. This lovely sauce was added to the slow cooker, along with the water used to deglaze the pan.

The slow cooker lid was put back on, the temp turned to low, and then it was just a matter of 10 hours cooking time to see what would happen.

During the ensuing hours, the aroma of the masala intensified, filling the entire house with what I can only describe as a warm, intoxicating scent, not unlike a perfume.

When the 10 hours elapsed, it was time for the moment of truth. I had made some Basmati rice, and spooned the chickpea mixture on top, and garnished with cilantro.

The chickpeas were a bit firmer than I normally make, but were very tasty and brought a nutty component to the dish. The masala was outstanding and when combined with the spices used to start the chickpeas, an absolutely delightful flavor burst hits your tongue and stays there for a bit. 

I can not wait to make this masala again. It is really and truly awesome. I'm picturing it with some shrimp or chicken bits with no slow cooker or chickpeas required. Make no mistake, it's not like we didn't like the chickpeas, but the masala can easily stand on its own.

I do wish there had been more sauce, as the overall result was a bit on the dry side. We have leftovers, so I plan to puree the rest of the whole, canned tomatoes and add them in. David suggested maybe mushing up some of the chickpeas to add another texture dimension. 

All in all, this was a fun dish to make and big on flavor. Try it!

Mustard and Chickpea Fritters

While I realize chickpeas don't appeal to everyone, David and I think they are a grand legume. Slightly nutty in flavor, great texture, and so versatile. I've used them in a variety of soups, stews, sauces, and, of course, hummus.

So when I saw this recipe, I just knew I had to try making these fritters. 

Right off the bat, I should mention that I didn't use canned chickpeas. Yes, it makes life easier and the prep faster, but I've found that using the dried peas provide far more flavor and a much nicer texture. Better still, I can control the sodium level.

The night before making the fritters, I soaked the chickpeas in a bowl of water. The next day, I put them in a pot, covered them water, and let them simmer for about 35-40 minutes. 

When they were done, I gave them a few pulses in the food processor and was good to go for making the rest of the recipe.

The mashed chickpeas were put into a bowl, and I added the onion, garlic, egg, Dijon mustard, salt, and some pepper.

After combining the ingredients, the mixture seemed too dry, so I added another egg. 

I ended up adding two tablespoons of flour to achieve the desired consistency -- a mixture that was firm, but still a bit moist.

Canola oil was heated in a cast iron pan, the chickpea mixture was formed into patties (I got eight), and they were cooked in batches -- about four minutes a side.

Time to plate! I was originally thinking of putting the fritters on top of a salad, but as I had just made a batch of flour tortillas, decided to use them as a base instead.

I know the recipe called for a Harissa Aioli for the sauce, but I wanted something with a bit more kick. So I mixed some Sriracha into a bit of mayo.

The result? You guys...these were so amazingly good! I initially thought the fritters would be more like over-sized falafel, but that wasn't the case. These fritters are denser, but moist. The Dijon mustard adds just the right amount of kick, and the mayo/Sriracha sauce helped bring everything together.

This a recipe I want to play with more. I'm thinking that some oven roasted garlic would work or browning some garlic slices in olive oil. That would add some nice texture. Another thought we had was folding in some sort of seafood. Doubt if I can get crab, but shrimp might work.

At the end of the day, these fritters are so tasty that even non-chickpea lovers might become converts.