I am a big fan of chickpeas and I could eat them every day without a problem 🙂 I usually cook them as a stew with plenty of peppers and homegrown tomatoes, but recently I thought I should try a different recipe, which has since become a family favorite.
“In a classroom full of every legume, the chickpea would sit front and centre, my star student to whom I’d show a certain degree of favouritism. It’s not that the chickpea is any better than its classmates, but, assuming the role of teacher’s pet, it is eager enough constantly to want to please. Its enthusiasm means it gets along with any personality – from fierce chilli to the outwardly funky parmesan – moulding itself unto their own qualities.” – Chef Yotam Ottolenghi
I decided to make Chef Ottolenghi’s Confit Tandoori Chickpeas after reading the rave reviews and learning about the slow cooking process and the blend of spices used.
Made with homegrown cherry tomatoes and pickled pimentos from last year’s harvest (in lieu of red chillies, which I didn’t have) as well as abundant garlic and ginger, this dish includes a vibrant, palate-pleasing combination of spices, with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and my favorite: Kashmiri chilli powder.
Patience is key when it comes to this dish. The slow cooking process in aromatic oil makes the chickpeas super soft and delightfully spicy, the zing of the ginger and the heat of the pimentos providing additional layers of fine-tuned flavor complexity. Indeed, as Chef Ottolenghi states, these chickpeas “have won the hearts of many, and for good reason – cooking them in the oil without added liquid makes them go super-soft, allowing the dish’s pungent flavours to release into the oil. The best part, though, is that you throw everything into a pan and pop it in the oven, leaving it to its own devices. Use a non-dairy yoghurt to make this dish vegan.”
Served with freshly baked sourdough bread and Chef Ottolenghi’s Greek yogurt dressing with homegrown mint and coriander, these confit chickpeas are an exciting culinary discovery, which deepens my understanding of chickpeas and my appreciation of their unique delicious versatility. You can find Chef Ottolenghi’s recipe and instructions here.
For chickpea recipes I posted over the years, you are welcome to check out my posts here, here, here, here and here.
Do you have a favorite dish with chickpeas? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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