Spicy chickpeas

September 15, 2009  •  Category:

 

NOTE:


Hummos means chick peas in Arabic.

I picked up this recipe from Eating Well magazine, October 2009 issue. It caught my eye because I love hummos (chick peas), I love spices and I love to snack. It made me hopeful I could substitue this recipe for the Qdaameh we used to eat as a snack when we were kids. The Qdaameh stands for grilled  chick peas and also means to nibble in Arabic. They are sold by  cart  vendors  in the streets of Beirut as well as  in the nut roastery stores like Hamasni and Rifai. In some areas in the mountains you will find a man who specializes in grilling the chick peas for the villagers. This was part of the winter snacks, eaten at night with other nuts and dried fruits. ( cf: The culinary heritage of Lebanon, Chef Ramzi) They come plain, salty or half-salted  or covered in sugar in pastel colors. I sometimes buy a couple pounds from the middle-eastern grocer and eat a handful whenever I feel hungry. Filled with protein and fiber, they are the perfect food. Who needs fancy and over-processed protein bars?

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 15-ounce can chick peas
  • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice, dried marjoram, ground cinnamon, paprika

METHOD:

  1. Heat the oven to 450F or heat a large skillet on the stove.
  2. Spread the chickpeas on the skillet and stir every so often. If using a skillet, cover it with a lid to prevent splatter and burning stings!
  3. Toast them about 20 minutes until browned.
  4. Let cool a bit and serve.

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Picture above is from the Qdaameh, the street snack sold in Beirut. Can be also found in middle-eastern stores in the US, plain or sugared.

Comments

6 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Reply

    Sophie says:

    I love chickpeas in every dish!!

    i also love cumin!!

    MMMMMMMMM,…

    On September 16, 2009 at 5:23 am

  2. Reply

    Murasaki Shikibu says:

    So at what stage do I salt them? After they’ve turned brown? 🙂

    On November 26, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    • Reply

      Joumana says:

      I would not salt them if they are canned. If they are fresh I would add salt to the other spices and add the spices at the beginning of roasting. You can always add extra salt when you are serving them. These are only good fresh, they don’t take kindly to being left out too long.

      On November 26, 2009 at 5:54 pm

  3. Reply

    Murasaki Shikibu says:

    I made them and not sure if this how they’re meant to be. What’s their texture meant to be like when they’re ready? 🙂
    They are definitely edible and I am eating them now. I used fresh chickpeas as they are cheap & abundant in Spain and I don’t like the taste of the liquid inside the bottled/canned stuff. I had to used thyme instead of marjoram as I didn’t have any but used your spice mixture which is really great. I added a dash of cayenne pepper though as I love spicy food. I also caramelized it a bit at the very end with sugar added into the pan (because the smells were telling me to add sugar. =P ). I wish I could eat a sample of the stuff being sold in the market in Lebanon so I’d know what to aim for. Anyway thanks for sharing. I will probably explore this a bit more.

    On November 27, 2009 at 7:50 am

    • Reply

      Joumana says:

      Hi Murasaki
      It is not possible to reproduce the ones sold in Lebanon because they use a special roaster unavailable in the market in the US or Europe, which dries the chick peas completely. This is just a little snack. When I am in Lebanon this holiday I will inquire and let you know.

      On November 27, 2009 at 9:30 am

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