What do you do when your mom arrives at your door for the holidays carrying, amongst other things, four pounds of raw chickpeas? Well rest assured, you’ll be eating a lot of chickpeas for the next few days.
Thankfully, my sister loves chickpeas and has a number of back pocket recipes she uses them for. This one just happens to be her favourite — because why pay $7 for 500 grams of flavourless gunk at the grocery store when you can easily make something much more tasty and abundant for the same price.
Equipment
Blender or food processor (unless you want to spend hours grinding by hand)
Ingredients
1/8th tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of ground coriander seeds
1/8th tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
Optional: 1/2 tsp of sumac (makes it extra tangy)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 ½ tbsp of Tahini
1 ½ tbsp of olive oil
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 cup of chickpeas (cooked)
Tip: 1 cup of raw chickpeas will triple in size, yielding 3 cups of cooked chickpeas. Or you can just use canned chickpeas and trade some of that sweet value for a little less time in the kitchen. Up to you.
- Preheat your air fryer or oven to 360 F and roast your bell pepper slices — first at 360 F for 10 minutes, then finish at 370 F for 5 minutes.
- In a pan, cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes on low heat, then add all the dry spices and continue cooking for 1 minute on low heat.
- Add your cooked chickpeas to the pan, mix, add your roasted peppers, then cook on medium-low heat until the mix starts hissing and a bright, lemony smell fills the room. Let the mixture cool for a bit before moving to the next step.
- To a blender, add some of your cooked mixture from the pan alongside the Tahini and lemon juice. Blend the mixture in batches, making sure the blender does not get stuck or overheat. Add half a tablespoon of olive oil in between batches until all the oil has been added. Also add water and stir as you go to keep the mixture silky and homogenous.
And just like that, you’re done!
As for how to enjoy this treat, my sister recommends a classic avocado toast with hummus, chia seeds, red pepper flakes, and a cooked egg as toppings. A satisfying brunch that always tastes fresh and is very easy to scale up to yield multiple servings as needed. Or you can just grab a pack of crackers and dip to your heart’s content. Enjoy!
