Recipes: Spicy Chickpeas

This one is adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe. In general it has hot chilli notes to it but for families with young children you can tone down the levels of fire as I have done here.

It works really well as a hearty vegetarian dish because the chickpeas and cauliflower give it a ‘meaty texture’ but it also goes well with lamb and creamy chicken dishes.

As with the previous recipe it costs next to nothing and the ingredients last for long periods in the cupboard (even cauliflower which as vegetables go is pretty hardy in storage, but try to use this as fresh as possible of course)

You can add tomatoes and or roasted peppers if you like.

Ingredients:

1 400g can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

I small cauliflower, broken into very small florets

1 red onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp of cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

250ml water

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then throw in the red onion and fry gently for 5 minutes to soften
2. Add the cumin seeds, smoked paprika and turmeric along with the cauliflower, add salt and fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently
3. Add 250ml of water, bring to boil then simmer for 10 mins until the the cauliflower is cooked through and the sauce is reduced
4. Add the chickpeas and cook for 2 minutes more
5. Stir, serve and enjoy!