CHICK PEAS - GRAIN OF THE WEEK

I had never cooked with chickpeas before but when I did I never looked back. I made chickpea curry and it was delicious I had to make it again and again! I will definately post the recipe soon, I forgot to take any pictures since I could not believe I had not cooked chickpeas before! Chickpea is usually a key ingredient in hummus, chana masala, and can be ground into flour and made into falafel. It is also used in salads, soups and stews. Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content of protein, dietary fibre, folate, and certain dietary minerals such as iron and phosphorus. Chickpeas are usually rapidly boiled for 10 minutes and then simmered for a longer period. Dried chickpeas need a long cooking time (1–2 hours) but will easily fall apart when cooked longer. If soaked for 12–24 hours before use, cooking time can be shortened by around 30 minutes.  

Mature chickpeas can be cooked and eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, ground into flour, ground and shaped in balls and fried as falafel, made into a batter and baked to make farinata or cecina, or fried to make panelle. Chickpea flour is known as gram flour or besan in South Asia and used frequently in South Asian cuisine.You can try out some of these delicious chickpeas recipes and be amazed at how versatile chickpeas can be