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Chick Peas

Chick peas are a versatile food, and one that should be located in most vegetarian pantries. Chick peas are very easy to locate in the supermarket in North Queensland, you can buy chick peas whole and dried, or cooked in a can.

I like to store both the tinned and the dried variety. When I have the time I will soak and cook a batch of dried chick peas for many different meals. For the days I don't have time do a "chick pea cook up" the tins come in very handy. If buying tins of chick peas look out for the organic chick peas, which seem readily available in most of the supermarkets these days.

organic tinned chick peas

Take a bag of dried chick peas....

As I already mentioned, I like to use dried chick peas. I purchase a bag of organic dried chick peas and soak them overnight. I take a batch of the soaked chick peas to use for falafels and sprouts, the rest of the chick peas can then be cooked and used in hummus, chick pea curries and bean salads.

Cooking chick peas

  1. soak chick peas overnight
  2. rinse, then place in a large saucepan, covered with water
  3. bring to the boil and scrape the residue that forms on top
  4. rinse after 5 minutes boiling
  5. cover with water, add a bay leaf and boil for 11/2- 2 hours or until chick peas are soft
  • chick peas can now be used in curries, hummus or frozen to use later (instead of tinned chick peas)

Hummus
Most vegetarians probably include hummus in their diet. This chick pea paste originates from the middle east and can be used as a dip, or in sandwiches. It is a great accompaniament to falafels. It is vegan and low gi, so it should appeal to many people's diets.
Ingredients
  1. 400g cooked or tinned chick peas
  2. 1/3 cup of tahini
  3. 1 garlic clove, chopped or crushed
  4. 2 tblspns olive oil
  5. juice of a lemon or lime
  6. herbs and/or spices of your choice to garnish
**these are just suggested quantities, your taste buds may require more or less tahini and juice
Method
  1. drain the chick peas, but set aside the liquid
  2. if the chick peas were tinned you may like to rinse them to get rid of the salt
  3. place chick peas, tahini, garlic and lemon in the food processor
  4. process to a smooth consistency, adding some of the liquid set aside, if needed
  5. pour into a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the herbs and or spices
  6. I use different combinations of parsley, coriander (fresh and/or dried), and tumeric