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Chickpea Fries

By Kelly Song

Published on October 18, 2022

Time

1¼ hours, plus 1 hour chilling

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Chickpea Fries

Ingredients

1 cup (4½ ounces/128 grams) chickpea flour ¾ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 2¼ cups water 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 quarts vegetable oil for fryingLemon wedges 1 recipe dipping sauce (see note)

Before You Begin

Chickpea flour is also sold as garbanzo flour. We developed this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Chickpea Flour, but it also works with Italian chickpea flour (farina di ceci) or Indian chickpea flour (gram/besan). It's best to use a scale to weigh the flour for this recipe. Serve with Lemon and Herb Dipping Sauce, Honey and Spice Dipping Sauce, or Calabrian Chile Dipping Sauce.

Instructions

  1. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Combine chickpea flour, salt, and pepper in medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in water and olive oil until smooth. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Stirring constantly with wooden spoon or rubber spatula, continue to cook over medium-low heat until batter is thickened to consistency of thick mashed potatoes and is no longer glossy, 6 to 8 minutes longer (spatula dragged through mixture should leave distinct trail).
  3. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread into even layer using greased rubber spatula. Let batter cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until batter is firm and fully set, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  4. Turn mixture out onto cutting board. Cut into thirds to form 3 strips. Then cut each strip crosswise into 12 fries (you should have total of 36 fries).
  5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Heat vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, carefully add half of fries to hot oil. Cook, without moving them, until fries begin to develop color, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  6. Continue to fry, stirring gently to prevent fries from sticking together or to bottom of pot, until fries are golden brown and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes longer. Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.
  7. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to prepared rack and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to oven to keep warm. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat frying with remaining fries. Serve with lemon wedges and dipping sauce.
Chickpea Fries
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Joy Howard.

Chickpea Fries

Save

Time

1¼ hours, plus 1 hour chilling

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 cup (4½ ounces/128 grams) chickpea flour
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2¼ cups water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges
1 recipe dipping sauce (see note)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 cup (4½ ounces/128 grams) chickpea flour
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2¼ cups water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges
1 recipe dipping sauce (see note)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 cup (4½ ounces/128 grams) chickpea flour
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2¼ cups water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges
1 recipe dipping sauce (see note)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Chickpea fries—also known as panisse in France and panissa or panelle in Italy—are a popular European street snack perfect for batch-making at home and sharing with friends. These black pepper–forward snacks are nicely browned on the outside with soft, custardy centers. To maintain the light flavors of our chickpea fries, we stuck to the most foundational ingredients, staying away from distracting add-ins. We combined the ingredients and simmered them on the stovetop to remove the moisture, essential for hydrating the flour and keeping the fries intact. We let this batter solidify in the refrigerator before slicing it into batons and then frying the batons until they were crispy and golden.

Before You Begin

Chickpea flour is also sold as garbanzo flour. We developed this recipe with Bob's Red Mill Chickpea Flour, but it also works with Italian chickpea flour (farina di ceci) or Indian chickpea flour (gram/besan). It's best to use a scale to weigh the flour for this recipe. Serve with Lemon and Herb Dipping Sauce, Honey and Spice Dipping Sauce, or Calabrian Chile Dipping Sauce.

Instructions

  1. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Combine chickpea flour, salt, and pepper in medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in water and olive oil until smooth. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Stirring constantly with wooden spoon or rubber spatula, continue to cook over medium-low heat until batter is thickened to consistency of thick mashed potatoes and is no longer glossy, 6 to 8 minutes longer (spatula dragged through mixture should leave distinct trail).
  3. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread into even layer using greased rubber spatula. Let batter cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until batter is firm and fully set, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  4. Turn mixture out onto cutting board. Cut into thirds to form 3 strips. Then cut each strip crosswise into 12 fries (you should have total of 36 fries).
  5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Heat vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, carefully add half of fries to hot oil. Cook, without moving them, until fries begin to develop color, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  6. Continue to fry, stirring gently to prevent fries from sticking together or to bottom of pot, until fries are golden brown and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes longer. Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.
  7. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to prepared rack and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to oven to keep warm. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat frying with remaining fries. Serve with lemon wedges and dipping sauce.

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