Who doesn’t love fries?  I love all kinds of fries but normally with potato based fries you can only accent the exterior.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a semi-healthy fry that has whatever you desired throughout it?  Well here I present Southwest Chickpea Fries. You may ask well what exactly are Southwest Chickpea Fries? Well….. They are kind of  kind of like a French panisse which is made with Chickpea flour and kind of like polenta which essentially is made from corn meal.  Add some peppers and spice and herbs, a little frying action and Yippee -Ka-Yay, you have Southwest Chickpea Fries.

Southwest Chickpea Fries

Serves: 8

Yield: Approximately 40 fries

Time: 30 minutes active time

    2 hours inactive time

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of water
1 1/4 cups of Chickpea Flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
3-4 tablespoons of a green pepper finely minced (Jalapeno was used)
3-4 tablespoons of a red pepper finely minced (Red Fresno was used)
2 tablespoons of cilantro finely chopped
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of salt

Additional Supplies:

Oil to fry (a lower quality olive oil was used)

Method:

Begin by taking a 2qt sauce pan and placing the 3 1/2 cups of water in it.  Turn the burner to high and add the 1 1/2 cups of chickpea flour, 1/2 cup of corn meal,  1 tablespoon of salt and 1 large clove of garlic finely minced.  Whisk gently till  it thickens and you start to get bubbles.  Add the  cilantro, the peppers, and the lemon zest. Give a couple more stirs to evenly mix the new ingredients in.

Then reduce the heat to medium, switch over to a spatula and continuously stir for 7 minutes.  The goal is for some of the water to evaporate and the mix NOT stick to the bottom of the pan.

Take a small 13″X9″ cookie sheet place some foil wrap over top.

Pour the mix on top.  Cover with some plastic wrap, there are a couple of ways to get the mix to firm up.

The quick way is to place it in the freezer for 20 minutes and then switch it over to the refrigerator for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

The longer way is to place the mix in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.  Note the Southwest Chickpea Fries mixture can be made the night before, and held for the next day.

Remove the wrap and place a larger cutting board on top.  Flip over and the solid mix will plop out.  Discard the foil.  Cut the mix in to approximately 1/2″ by 3 ” to get sticks.

Heat a skillet with cooking oil.  Olive oil was used for this batch.  The oil should cover at least half but closer to 3/4 of a Southwest Chickpea Fry.  Heat the oil to around 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fire safety note:  Please know hot to put out an oil fire.  I have baking soda, salt, a lid that is equal to or larger than the cooking vessel. It doesn’t hurt to have a dry chemical fire extinguisher in the kitchen at all times but that is the option of last resort.  Never put water on a grease or oil fire..

Once the oil is up to temperature place some chickpea sticks carefully in to the oil and let cook for about 2ish minutes and then flip repeat for the other side.  The chickpeas are done when all sides are lightly golden brown.  Remove the fries and place on a paper towel for a quick couple of minutes.  Give them quick sprinkle of salt and serve.

Southwest Chickpea Fries go great with CookingYo.com’s Chipolte Mayo as a dipping sauce.

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Amazing Southwest Chickpea Fries

Amazing Southwest Chickpea Fries, with southwest spices and herbs. It is basic batter fries that are chilled and fried to golden perfection. An excellent side or appetizer for your southwest dishes

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 40 fries

Author Ken

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups of water
• 1 1/4 cups of Chickpea Flour
• 1/2 cup of cornmeal
• 3-4 tablespoons of a green pepper finely minced Jalapeno was used
• 3-4 tablespoons of a red pepper finely minced Red Fresno was used
• 2 tablespoons of cilantro finely chopped
• 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic minced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• Oil to fry the the sticks

Instructions

1. Begin by taking a 2qt sauce pan and placing the 3 1/2 cups of water in it. Turn the burner to high and add the 1 1/2 cups of chickpea flour, 1/2 cup of corn meal, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 large clove of garlic finely minced. Whisk gently till it thickens and you start to get bubbles. Add the cilantro, the peppers, and the lemon zest. Give a couple more stirs to evenly mix the new ingredients in.
2. Then reduce the heat to medium, switch over to a spatula and continuously stir for 7 minutes. The goal is for some of the water to evaporate and the mix NOT stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Take a small 13″X9″ cookie sheet place some foil wrap over top.
4. Pour the mix on top. Cover with some plastic wrap, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes and then switch it over to the refrigerator for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Or, place the mix in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Note the Southwest Chickpea Fries mixture can be made the night before, and held for the next day.
5. Remove the wrap and place a larger then the cookie sheet cutting board on top. Flip over and the solid mix will plop out. Discard the foil. Cut the mix in to approximately 1/2″ by 3 ” to get sticks.
6. Heat a skillet with cooking oil. The oil should cover at least half but closer to 3/4 of a Southwest Chickpea Fry. Heat the oil to around 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Once the oil is up to temperature place some chickpea sticks carefully in to the oil and let cook for about 2ish minutes and then flip repeat for the other side. The chickpeas are done when all sides are lightly golden brown. Remove the fries and place on a paper towel for a quick couple of minutes. Give them quick sprinkle of salt and serve.

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