Recipe : Moroccan Cumin Spiced Chickpeas - Vegan

These spiced Chickpeas (channa / chhole) are often sold as street food in newspaper cones, the way jhalmuri / charmuri used to be served in India. Its very easy to make and can be served as a starter with drinks, an evening snack or a side with rotis.

If you would like them crisper, then use more oil and fry them crisp and drain on paper towels. I use less oil in this recipe, than is normally used in Morocco.

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked & drained White Chickpeas (safed channa / chhole) - see tips below
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh coriander (dhaniya) - finely chopped
1/2- 1 tbsp cumin (jeera) powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan.
On low heat, add the chickpeas, coriander and cumin and toss well to coat. Toss, rather than stir, to prevent breakage or smashing of the chickpeas.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Kim's Tips:
- If you have dried channa, soak them for 8 hours or overnight and then pressure cook them for 3-4 whistles.
- Adding a pinch of soda bicarb while cooking the channa, makes it fluffier and softer, but it also increases the feeling of fullness when eating. Too much soda bicarb will ruin the taste, so be judicious in its use.
- I like to add 1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds and a pinch of hing (asafoetida) while pressure cooking the chhole to reduce the gassy side effects of chhanna.
- If you are using a peppermill to grind the pepper, don't hold the pepper mill directly above a hot cooking pan/pot, the steam will introduce moisture into your mill and cause clumping. Grind the pepper into a cold plate and then add it to your cooking pot.