Crunchy Snacks
Baked chickpeas are a snack you will love. They are crispy, crunchy, and full of flavor. The best thing is they are healthy too — packed with protein and fiber, which means they keep you full for longer.
Making baked chickpeas is super easy. Just mix boiled chickpeas with a little tahini and spices, then bake them until golden and crunchy. That’s it! You’ll have a tasty snack that is lighter, healthier, and just as addictive as popcorn.
Baked Chickpeas Ingredients
A Strong Competitor to Popcorn
Who doesn’t love popcorn? I think almost everybody does — kids and adults are all big fans. Can you even imagine a cinema without popcorn? The first thing that often comes to mind is yes, you guessed it right 😁 ‘POPCORN’. But guess what — there’s a healthier and tastier alternative: baked chickpeas.
Here are two versions of baked chickpeas. The recipe for the green one is linked below
A little Popcorn Story
I don’t want to go into who first discovered popcorn. Instead I want to share a piece of my own story, the memories I saw and heard before I tell you why I made chickpea popcorn.
My grandmother (Nani) was very special. Every late summer, she would visit us, never coming empty handed always bringing along delicious things and beautiful bedtime stories. And these stories weren’t from books, they were straight from her imagination, yet always magical. I didn’t get to spend much time with her since my parents’ home was far away, an overnight bus journey. We usually met only twice a year, once in late summer when she visit us, and sometimes after Diwali during Chhath Puja when we went to her place.
In summer she would always bring dried corn with her. Back then, ovens, microwaves, or fancy gadgets were not even in our imagination — we only saw them on TV. Making popcorn was simple but also a lot of hard work. Now when I think of the old method, It feels really tiring and boring but hats off to my mother and my beautiful Nani, she never missed a single summer of bringing dried corn for us.
The process was long. First they would shell the corn from the cobs then the real work start, heating a half-deep clay pot filled with sand once the sand was hot, they would add corn and stir continuously slowly the heat made the kernels pop and as kids we would jump with joy at the sight of corn turning into popcorn.
Of course the work wasn’t easy. My mother, Nani and the aunties had red and sweaty faces from standing near the heat but their happiness came from seeing us kids smiling and enjoying fresh popcorn. Making popcorn was almost like a planned event done only 3–4 times a year from late summer to fall.
Along with popcorn, they also made puffed rice and other snacks together. It took 2–3 days but when it was all done, they felt like they had won a big battle. These memories always make me smile.
Today, of course people simply buy dried corn and pop it in a cooker or microwave. Times have changed but the love, effort and joy behind those summer popcorn days remain unforgettable. A big salute to my beloved late Nani, my dear Maa and all the amazing aunties who made our childhood so special.
Why I love these chickpea popcorn?
Now come back to recipe, the answer is simple because it’s a healthier version. These days people are always looking for snacks that are not only tasty but also healthy and protein-rich too. Chickpeas are naturally full of protein and goodness, Which makes them a perfect choice and beyond all that they’re super easy to make and of course delicious too.
Lets make it together…
Recipe
Baked Chickpea Popcorn
Ingredients
- 540 ml Boiled/ Canned Chickpea
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 1 tspn Black Sesame Seeds
- 1 tspn Carom Seeds
- Salt
Instructions
- First open a can of chickpeas and drain the liquid, Rinse the chickpeas well to remove the extra starch and make them clean before using.
- In a bowl add all the spices along with tahini and mix everything well to form a smooth coating.
- Add the chickpeas to the bowl and mix until they are well coated with the spices.
- Place the chickpeas on a baking tray lined with baking sheet and spread them out evenly.
- Bake the chickpeas in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes or until they turn crispy and yes! Its ready.
- For a visual reference you can watch our video linked below.
- Enjoy😋
Video
NUTRITION INFO
Consider more snacks recipes
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