Chickpea mash with crispy basil
Chickpeas make a great alternative to mashed potatoes, thanks to their nutty flavour and creamy texture. This mash is chunkier than hummus, with some of the chickpeas keeping their form while others are creamy.
- Cooking:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 500g ofdried chickpeas
- 1bay leaf
- ½onion, peeled but left whole
- 3garlic cloves, peeled
- 1tspcumin seeds
- 1dried chilli, smoky, such as chipotle, stalk removed
- 1 ½l vegetable stock
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil, to serve
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 1bunch ofbasil, leaves picked
Instructions
Step 1
Cover the chickpeas with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak overnightStep 2
The next day, drain the chickpeas and place them in a large saucepan with the bay leaf, onion, garlic, cumin seeds and dried chilli. Cover with vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the chickpeas are tenderStep 3
Remove the bay leaf and transfer the beans and their cooking liquid (including the onion, garlic and spices) to a blender, working in batches to ensure the blender is never more than half fullStep 4
Blend some batches until smooth and creamy and then just briefly blitz others so that they stay chunky. Season the mash well with salt and pepperStep 5
Make the crispy basil by heating the oil to a depth of 0.5cm in a frying pan. Add a handful of basil at a time - the leaves will crisp up in around 10 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the basil, draining the crispy leaves on kitchen paperStep 6
Serve the mash drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, topped with the crispy basil