Fried Chickpeas with Sage Recipe
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To start our fried food menu off right, Sara Dickerman created this pareve recipe with fried chickpeas, fried sage, and smoked paprika, for an addictive snack that goes well beyond Hanukkah.
What to buy: Dried beans can be substituted for the canned beans if you prefer. Use 1 1/2 cups cooked beans for each 15-ounce can of beans called for.
Special equipment: You will need a deep-frying/candy thermometer, a pair of tongs, and a skimmer.
This dish was featured as part of our Frying Feast story, as well as our Tailgating Recipes and Hanukkah Recipes photo galleries.
INGREDIENTS
- Olive and canola oil for frying
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, thoroughly drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 40 to 50 medium fresh sage leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot fitted with a deep-frying thermometer with 3 inches of oil (1/2 olive, 1/2 canola) and heat to 375°F over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, dry drained chickpeas thoroughly with paper towels. Combine 2 tablespoons of the flour, the salt, and the paprika in a large bowl and briefly whisk to break up any lumps. Add chickpeas and toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
- Working in two batches, fry chickpeas until they stop popping and have turned golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. (Be careful: A lot of commotion and steam erupts from the oil when the chickpeas first drop.) Remove with a skimmer or a frying basket to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
- Combine remaining 1 tablespoon flour and sage leaves in a small bowl, toss to lightly coat, and tap off excess flour. Working in two batches, fry sage in oil until leaves stop foaming, about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove with a skimmer or a frying basket to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
- Toss together chickpeas and sage in a bowl and serve immediately.
Just made these and they were very addictive, but was a little surprised that they weren’t more flavorful. The sage was the saving grace. I would serve them immediately as they lost any crispy texture after awhile. I suppose you could keep them drying in a low oven until ready to serve.
I just made a half batch for a snack-y lunch: delicious! I blitzed the kosher salt to make it adhere a bit better, and used half olive and half peanut oil.
yum Yum YUM! Thanks :-)
Andrea I did not use a thermometer, just fished out one when they looked 'done' and tasted.
I also made just one can, and used a few tablespoons of oil. I did not have fresh sage, so I can't comment TOO strongly about the taste, but I can share that without the fried sage, they really were very flat. I then added garlic powder, more salt, some pepper and some dried rubbed sage. (Hey-I was tryin!!) And they were tastier.
I will do them again as written, because we did like them, but I want to love them.
FYI-I just tried a leftover bean- not good cold.
is the thermometer essential?
As with most fried food (actually, I can't think of any that don't), they taste best shortly out of the fryer. Maybe you can "refresh" them in the oven before serving.
Would anyone be able to answer the last question posed about being able to serve them at a later time? I want to make them for the 4th but it would be great if I could make them in the morning . . .
Are these something you need to serve right away, or can you hold them for a while?
These were so good. The flour really gives it a nice puffy, crispy sort of crust. Start to finish it only took me 10 minutes but I did half the recipe. Next time I may add more smoked paprika but really these were great and allowed me to overcome my fear of deep-frying.
violette o: it's really your call. we used smoked bittersweet paprika and liked it, but go ahead and tailor it to your personal preference.
Oops. Meant sweet, bittersweet and hot.
Thanks for replying, but I don't think I was clear enough. I have three varieties of Smoked paprika: sweet, bittersweet and sweet. They will all add that smoked flavor, but are you trying to add heat as well?
violette o: as it is listed in the ingredients list, we used smoked paprika. however, if you prefer sweet paprika, go ahead and make it using that. enjoy!
Do you use sweet or hot smoked paprika?
diana: we tried it with and without flour and, while it worked fine without flour, we felt the seasoning gets better distributed and the chickpeas crisper with the flour.
I bet it would work just as well if you didn't use the flour and just fried the garbanzos and tossed them in the flour free seasoning right outta the oil./
rachel Ray doesn't even use oil, she toasts hers brown in a dry hot pan and then shakes them in smoked paprika. That turns out pretty good.
Then again, not using oil is kinda beside the point for the holidays.
I was intrigued and ran to the store to get some canola oil, chick peas and smoked paprika. I had some sage on hand since it's right before Thanksgiving and I've been hoarding. These are quite tasty and the sage dissolves in your mouth. I've made these before by baking them and they were chalky-chewy and not good at all. But these leave a crisp crust with the softness of the chickpea inside and the smoky paprika really lends a great flavor. I didn't put 3 inches of oil in the pan -- more like 1/2 inch and it was just fine. One can of chickpeas fried up all at once and it didn't make too much commotion at all. I can't wait to try these out on friends. They're unique, easy and good, three of my favorite things.
sounds good. cant wait to try it. i might use cayenne instead and adjust the quantity. another interesting add on would be dried mango powder for a bit of tart. tart and spicy very delish.