Chickpeas soup secret to a good voice

Singer Jessie J drinks chickpeas and garlic soup to protect her voice from any damage. The 25-year-old, who has given hit tracks like Who you are, Do it like a dude and Mamma knows best, says, “I boil down chickpeas and garlic and drink that straight. The house smells lovely.”

And while that’s one way we want to try, especially for the warm, lovely smell Jessie talks of, chickpeas are extremely versatile, and go way beyond your chhole and hummus. Chickpeas have a robust, nutty flavour and are very versatile. You can just boil them and eat them by themselves or toss them into pastas, sauces, soups, salads. Here are some of the other things you may not have heard of...

Brownie Batter Dip
Pittsburgh based Melinda Novak’s blog cooking ala me has a recipe of a brownie dip using chickpeas. She says, “This dip really tastes like brownie batter.  It’s nice and sweet with a deep chocolate flavour. And you totally can’t tell that they’re chickpeas in there.” It’s a great dip for graham crackers, apple slices, or you could slather it on pancakes.

Recipe
In a food processor, pulse 1 ¼ cup pitted Medjool dates until chunky. Add in 450 gms chickpeas, 2 tbsp of almond butter or any other nut butter of your choice, two tbsp of coconut oil, and 1 tbsp vanilla.  Blend until smooth. Add in ¼ tbsp salt and 6 to 8 tbsp of cocoa, and blend until well mixed.  Add in 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips and either stir or pulse a few times to break up into coarse pieces.

Burger patty
US based Rosemary Beck’s blog Content in a Cottage lists a copy of a recipe of a burger patty that she came across in a health magazine.

Recipe
Preheat the oven to 190 OC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To 450 gms chickpeas add ½ tsp each of salt, turmeric, paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, and 2 tbsps of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Process in a food processor till well combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture in a bowl and fold in 2 ½ cups of cooked brown basmati rice, 3 tbsps of finely diced red bell pepper, and ¼ cup loosely packed minced fresh flat leaf parsley. Moisten your hands to keep the mixture from sticking, then shape the mixture into ¼-inch-thick patties about 2 ½ inches in diameter. Place the chickpea burgers on the prepared pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the patties start to get dry and crisp on the outside. They will firm up as they start to cool; serve burgers while still warm.

Chickpea pancakes
We found this one on the food blog foodrecipeshq. Food blogger Daniela also points out how “gram flour accounts for only 18 per cent carbs while Corn flour usually reaches 30 per cent.” Plus it’s gluten free.

Recipe
Mix together 1 cup chickpea flour, 1 cup water and a pinch of salt. Crack in one egg and mix well, add 1 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda. Let the batter rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Lightly oil a frying pan and heat until very hot then add a ladle of batter. Cook until lightly golden. Turn the pancake over with a spatula and cook for 1 minute more. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter, re-oil the pan each time.

18th century’s coffee
In eighteenth century Europe, writers noted that chickpeas were being used as a substitute for coffee. In 1793 in Germany it was reported that roast chickpeas were a most agreeable substitute for coffee beans. In modern times people still find the aroma of roasted chickpeas pleasant.