These Chickpea Fries are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. If you are looking for a healthy variation of the traditional street food found in Sicily, this panelle recipe is for you!
Grease or line with parchment paper an 8 x 8 baking dish. Set aside.
In a medium pot, add salt to the water and bring to a boil.
In a large mixing bowl, add the spices and garlic to the chickpea flour and whisk together until no lumps are visible.
Once the water is boiling, reduce to the lowest setting and slowly add the chickpea flour.
Whisk CONTINUOUSLY for about 5 minutes. The mixture will become thick.
Pour the chickpea mixture in the greased or paper-lined baking dish and spread evenly.
Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
With a very sharp knife, cut in quarters. Then, cut lengthwise at 1-inch interval to obtain 16 sticks.
To Pan-Fry: Heat one and a half tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Pan fry half the sticks, rotating them regularly so that all sides brown evenly. Remove them from heat, set them aside, and repeat with the remaining sticks.
To Bake: Coat the sticks with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and place a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degrees oven, for about 30-45 minutes, turning them at the halfway mark.
Transfer to a serving dish and serve with favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
Pour and spread the chickpea batter quickly in a greased pan as it sets very quickly.
A greased rubber spatula helps facilitate the spreading of the batter in the pan.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
There is an inactive time of 30 minutes while the mixture firms up in the refrigerator.
1 serving=1 chickpea stick
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.