There is one little pub in Vancouver I go to for their chickpea fries…OK, I also go there ’cause it’s not pretentious and it’s called a “nerd” bar. And, I’m kinda a nerd….
Point is, I can’t keep going there when I want chickpea fries. It’s not only expensive but not so good for my waistline too since those bad boys are deep fried! I decided to look online and attempted the first recipe I found. I have two little requirements in a chickpea fry: preferably done in the oven and EASY. This recipe is basic and the good thing is, you can add spices to tailor them to whatever your tastes are. I went with basic garlic, S & P and some seasoning salt…
The first step involves adding the chana (chickpea) flour mixed into COLD water and whisked over medium heat…warning: keep stirring because as it heats up the flour mixture will become thick- FAST.
After coming to a gentle boil for 1 minute…
Then, as the recipe states, pour the mixture into a pan, and put in the fridge….the longer the better. I chose overnight. I came home today and flipped it out…
Turned out, nice and firm….
Cut and ready to go…
At this point you could fry, bake, deep fry or freeze to use later. I opted to try both pan-frying and baking in the oven. Something to take note- these fries STICK BADLY….so if you have parchment paper for the oven I highly recommend it. I didn’t and it resulted in not-so-attractive fries but damn, did they taste fine! If you’re frying, make sure and not fiddle with them; let them develop a ‘crust’- if you move them too soon that yummy part will get ripped off and you’ll be crying.
While I gobbled up the pan fried ones, I loved the oven-baked ones even more. They almost “puff’ up in the oven and I was in pure food heaven.
A quick pesto-mayo dip completed the plate…
This recipe is basic but that’s what I like about it. There is room to play and experiment with flavor. I’m pretty damn excited about this discovery and looking forward to the possibilities. Storm Crow, does this mean I won’t be by anymore? HELL NO. It means I’ll have a little bit of you, here at home with me…and maybe a little more room for another beer there 
Besides, the chickpea fries at Storm Crow are a million times better than mine….
can’t wait to try these!
Thanks Shelli! Just be prepared for how much they stick. I can’t stress this enough. Obviously parchment will help this but I wonder if will lessen them browning and turning crisp?
I don’t think so. I use parchment all the time and things seem to brown the same. It helps if you trim the parchment to fit the pan size though.
For sure. I love parchment. When I run out and use say tinfoil, or something else, it’s never the same. So hassle free and easy to clean. Love the parchment!