Three heaped tablespoons of these little yellow powerhouses count as one of your 5-a-day. But why would you eat them from a spoon when there are so many other delicious ways to create chickpea magic?
When it comes to planning a meat-free menu, the chickpea is nothing short of a culinary superhero. A member of the pulse family (pulses are edible seeds from legume plants and include beans, peas and lentils), it’s a source of fibre, vitamin B and iron. And if chickpeas are nutritious – which they are – that’s nothing compared to how wonderfully versatile they are as an ingredient.
Alongside Middle Eastern staple falafel, the most famous chickpea creation is probably houmous, but why not ring the changes with a chickpea dhal – a spicier, chunkier version of houmous with onion, garlic and curry powder. Or think outside the box burger-wise with pea, herb and chickpea patties. And if you’re a soup fan, chickpeas also create a hearty, creamy texture – perfect served with hazelnuts.
Not that every dish featuring chickpeas has to involve crushing them. These perfect pulses have a dry, grainy, almost nutty texture that can add crunch to a salad or hold their shape during cooking. This makes them ideal for slow-cook curries – try them with sweet potato – or in traybakes with ingredients such as aubergine and tomato.
The liquid gold that is aquafaba Aquafaba (literally meaning ‘bean water’) is the viscous water in which the chickpeas have been cooked. Maybe you’ve just drained it down the sink till now, but aquafaba makes a good replacement for egg whites. (Yep, that’s right.) During the chickpea cooking process, proteins, carbs and water-soluble plant solids migrate into the cooking water, resulting in a thick liquid. When whipped, aquafaba froths in a similar way to egg white and can be used to make cakes, mousses, meringue and Yorkshire puds.
Turn over for 3 more great ways to use chickpeas...
Houmous
Star of the Middle Eastern mezze, houmous is a creamy chickpea and tahini dip that you can customise with your own flavour combinations, from caramelised onion to roasted red pepper
Serves 6 Prep time 15 mins
• 400g tin chickpeas
• 1 garlic clove
• 1½ tbsp tahini paste (available in most supermarkets)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Sweet paprika for dusting
• 150ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling on top 1 Pulse a drained tin of chickpeas in a processor, together with the garlic, tahini paste and lemon juice.
