Sumac & Garlicky Black Chickpeas – SpiceBox Organics Challenge Part 2

This gorgeous, warming vegan dish is perfect as a side addition to your festive table this winter. I’ve even gone a step further and put in two dishes for one!

This recipe comes about from my SpiceBox Organics challenge in which I was given a whole foodie treasure trove of ingredients to make some new recipes from. In the SpiceBox Organics Challenge Part 1, I used Achari Masala mix with fish.  In this challenge, I take on chickpeas – black chickpeas, or kala channa, which are not actually black, but have a dark reddish brown hue. They are whole, organic chickpeas with the skin on, which make them extra nutritious. Chickpea proteins are rich in essential amino acids like lysine, isoleucine, tryptophan and total aromatic amino acids.

Punam, of Spicebox Organics, mentioned to me that she sprouts her chickpeas and throws them in salad so initially I tried this with a handful of chickpeas in the shallow tray, lined with kitchen paper and sprinkled with water. About half sprouted while the other half grew mould, but I suspect it was the darkness of my kitchen. I will try this experiment again in the summer on my balcony.

So it was a few weeks ago, on the last bright, breezy, warm day of autumn, that I decided to throw a little garden party for some friends and their kids. I initially tried my hand at making oven roasted chickpeas rolled in olive oil, salt, garlic and sumac.  I had visions of myself munching on crunchy chickpeas with a glass of white in my hand…

The first batch turned out really well. But…

Ok. I have a confession to make…

While I was waiting for the first batch to roast, I began eating the freshly cooked, coated chickpeas, and I couldn’t get enough. They tasted so damn good! Halfway through my second bowl, I thought ‘Fuck it’. Crunchy chickpeas be damned! Who has the time to put batch after batch in the oven?

When the roasted ones came out of the oven, they were good, but not as good, more chewy, less soft, not as crunchy as I hoped. Somehow the freshly boiled ones just worked better.

I also had some pumpkin and cauliflower roasting in the oven and mixed them together and the final combination was just amazing. So there you have it. Because I couldn’t help my greedy self, thus came about one of the most delicious vegan dishes EVER…

I had some leftovers after and blitzed them with some stock to make a great mid-week soup. So go ahead, and make a whole batch. You won’t regret it.

For those who don’t know what sumac is, it’s a North African berry which is dried and ground into a powder. It’s purple in colour, and very tangy, almost sour and lemony. It makes a delicious rub and marinade and sprinkled over things. I sprinkle it everywhere, because it’s delicious.  Here in HK, I’ve found it in City Super in the same section as harissa paste and…tacos… go figure.

Make sure you soak the chickpeas overnight to increase their digestibility and nutritious value. They need a good 12 hours in cold water. If you are planning on roasting pumpkin and cauliflower together, use a large roasting pan – I used an aluminium one, so much easier for roasting and serving.

By Sharon Maloney, Jasmine & Ginger

For Sharon Maloney’s Sumac & Garlicky Black Chickpeas recipe, please click here.