Fried Channa (Chickpeas)


Hello, my loves!

I hope everyone's been doing well.

A few days ago, I had a huge craving for fried chickpeas, or Channa as we call them in Guyana. This is a summer staple in my house and we always have a bottle on hand just in case.

You can generally get them at any West Indian grocery store, or you can make them yourself!

Here's what you'll need:

600g of dried chickpeas (I'll go more into this in a moment)
Vegetable oil
6-8 Garlic cloves
4-6 Wiwi Peppers or approx 1/2 of a Scotch Bonnet Pepper 
Salt



The day before you are ready to make this or at least 12 hours before, place your chickpeas in a large bowl and soak with enough hot water to completely cover them. We opt for dried chickpeas as the ones that you get in cans are soaked with that thick liquid and also because my mother said so.

You will have to change the water multiple times in the day. This will help to remove the shell on the outside, so don't be afraid of the popping noises you might hear. 

You want the chickpeas to soften up but still be firm.

Rinse off and drain well. The chickpeas MUST be dry because you will be frying them in the oil and as we all know, oil and water are not friends. Just to be on the safe side we gently pat them down with a paper towel.



With a mortar & pestle, pound the garlic and pepper into a paste. You can also do this with a mini chopper, but my mom and I clearly had a lot of time on our hands that day.


In small batches, fry the chickpeas until golden brown making sure to salt each batch liberally. You can also add a bit of the garlic paste to each batch or just mix everything at the end, just make sure to keep the chickpeas warm so it can soak in some of the flavors.  

I hope you guys enjoy it! Don't forget to comment down below and let me know if you've made it 🙂 




 

Comments

  1. Very good post about fried Channa (Chickpeas). Nice recipe. Looks yummy and delicious.

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  2. Yum! I love chickpeas as a snack!

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  3. I love toasted chickpeas for a snack or on top of salads as my protein source. I love making mine in the air fryer with various seasonings, like chili lime or simple salt and pepper. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

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  4. This is a great snack with chickpeas , love that you add garlic paste as well.

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  5. I love chickpeas! Just made curry the other day. This recipe makes a great snack, thanks for sharing!

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