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Oven Roasted Chickpeas – A fat free crunchy snack.
January 9th, 2009 Madhuram Posted in Kid Pleaser Recipes, Salt and Spicy, Snacks, Vegan Snacks/Appetizers | 
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Long time back in one of Rachel Ray’s show I saw her frying canned chickpea on stove top and she was mentioning that its a nice and crispy snack. I always thought that chickpeas and green peas were deep fried in oil to get that crunchiness. I used to love these while growing up. It was my grandmother’s favorite snack too but we never made it at home. We used to get it from Ambica Depot. After seeing the show I also wanted to prepare it but somehow did not get to it until last week. Instead of sauteeing it in a pan, I decided to roast it in the oven. Otherwise you would have to stand nearby and keep stirring it.
I immediately googled to see if somebody has already done that and found a lot of results. Here I thought I was the smart one, with this brilliant idea! So I was going through a lot of those recipes and found that the oven temperatures, time to roast were different in each case and the reviews of the result were also mixed. So I decided to follow my own method and was really surprised that it worked out very well. My son generally likes chickpea by itself, but he liked these roasted chickpeas even more.
The recipe is very simple, actually it’s not a recipe at all. You have to just keep in mind the oven temperature and the time to roast it. The amount of chickpeas you want to roast, the seasonings are truly your call. As mentioned before you can roast it in a frying pan on stove top itself.
2 If using canned chickpea, open the can, drain it in a colander, rinse it with water. Dab the chickpeas with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Don’t wipe it dry, little moisture is recommended so that the seasonings stick to the chickpeas.
3 Transfer the chickpeas to a large baking sheet and add the chili powder and garlic powder. I did not use salt because I was using canned chickpeas which has salt in it already. I also read in another place that adding salt initially will not quicken the process of roasting because it will release moisture. So add it after roasting or better cook the chickpeas with little salt if you are not using the canned ones.
4 Leave it in the oven for 35-38 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If you want crunchy chickpeas roast it for 38 minutes. My husband likes the crunchy-chewy texture, so 35 minutes was perfect. SO I took out some after 35 minutes and roasted the balance for another 3-4 minutes. Again keep in mind that oven temperatures vary, so check yours around 35 minutes first and then decide either to roast it further or not.
5 After 35 or 38 minutes, switch off the oven and leave the baking tray in the oven itself for another 10 minutes.
6 Fat free, guilt free roasted chickpeas are ready to be snacked on. It was so crunchy and addictive. We couldn’t stop nibbling on. Anyhow I managed to save some for the next day to see if it remained crunchy even then. I stored them in a closed container and left it on the counter. The crunchy ones were perfect the next day too, but the chewy-crunchy ones were bit difficult to chew.
The only thing which I wish I done differently was lining the baking sheet with aluminum foil. It was very difficult to get rid of the burnt chickpea marks from the sheet.
This is my entry for
JFI – Chickpeas, hosted by MS. JFI created by Indira.
My Legume Affair hosted by Srivalli. The even originally created by Susan.
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September 22nd, 2009 at 10:29 am
Thanks for the recipe. I tried this on Sunday and we loved it. I have posted it on my blog for T&T.
You’re welcome RC.
September 21st, 2009 at 8:51 pm
[...] the extra soaked Garbanzo Beans I made this tasty and crunchy snack by following Madhu’s recipe here. I made some minor modifications of my own, but nevertheless the taste is truly awesome. I also [...]
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:22 am
Madhu, I tried this and all my american coworkers are loving it. I am eating it while typing this.
Thanks Sonal.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I love roasted chickpeas! I like them with garam masala… they’re like chewy little hummus balls!
February 10th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hi,
I tried this today and it was fabulous! Thanks for this healthy and yummy snack. My husband is a garbanzo/protein freak and he loved it too.
Charu, thanks for the feedback. I’m glad both of you liked the roasted chickpeas.