From the Kitchen : Hot and Spicy Chickpea Salad

With so much going right now in the news and in our own homes as of late, something zesty would probably be a good idea to lighten things up. And seeing that I have been posting some real hearty food items, I think it would be a good idea I give salad a highlight. But do not worry as this is not just some normal salad, as it savoury, protein packed, and has a lot going on. So here is my take on the classic spicy chickpea salad. 

Hot and Spicy Chickpea Salad. 

Ingredients A:

1 can of chickpeas 

butter

all spice

paprika

cayenne pepper

cumin seeds

dried rosemary

garlic powder

1 onion, chopped 

Ingredients B:

Any salad veggies and nuts of your choice. 

I used a 250 gm of rocket, 200 gm of cherry tomatoes, a handful of walnuts and 1 cup of pumpkin seeds

Ingredients C:

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp grainy mustard

Steps.

This new pan really works like a charm!

1. Firstly, fry your beans. Start by heating your pan with some butter and fry the onions first. Fry your cumin seeds soon after until it becomes fragrant. Add in your beans and in the end, the rest of your spices. Season to taste You know when its done when you can crush the chickpeas with the back of a spoon. 

Pro tip: if you cannot get all of the spices above, you can try by using a spice mix, such as a cajun mix or a Tex-Mex mix. And as with most recipes, I decided not to include any measurements in terms of spices, so that you can gauge yourself how much you need, according to your tastes. 

2.  Once the chickpeas are ready, set aside to cool. Prepare your dressing by combining everything in Ingredients C by mixing vigorously until everything emulsifies. If you do not have white vinegar, anything acidic helps. You can even try a combination of lemon and orange juice. 

So simple but it really works. 

3. Toss everything together and you have a simple, healthy and refreshing side dish which has a walloping of flavour. 

This recipe is so versatile and is something you can try modifying to your liking. In fact, I already introduced several while drafting this already! However, there is one huge caveat : the chickpeas must be cooked with at least some spicy seasoning as it is this that will spice things up, literally. I mean, this has "hot and spicy" in its name for a reason. 

It is the textural and flavour contrast of hot and cool which makes this recipe work. If not, and you just use bland chickpeas directly from a can or a pack that you just plainly boiled, you lose a lot of the charm of this recipe. If you are really in a pinch, curry powder can be a good seasoning alternative. Also, if you want to make this as a full meal, you can add in some pasta spirals or cooled brown rice for more carbs. 

The key here is contrast and impact. And if you can just keep to those principles, you will be guaranteed to have a killer salad every time you make this. 

A well deserved close up, before serving for dinner.