Hummus, falafels, chocolate mousse… How to cook chickpeas?

Abdel Alaoui, edited by Solène Leroux 10:30 am, October 6, 2021

INTERVIEW

It's a simple product that we too often tend to forget: chickpeas.

It comes in flour, canned, in bulk ... So many ways to tame it.

Very inexpensive, chickpeas are above all excellent for health.

"It contains a lot of nutrients, zinc, fiber and lowers blood pressure," said Abdel Alaoui, guest of Europe 1 in

, Tuesday.

Eating chickpeas frequently reduces the risk of heart disease.

Born in the Middle East

It is impossible to think of chickpeas without thinking of hummus, this Middle Eastern specialty of which many countries such as Lebanon and Israel are disputing the paternity. We reach almost 5,000 kilos of hummus per year in these two countries. This sensitive issue even gave rise to an international hummus competition in 2017 in Argentina, to determine which country was doing the best.

In France too, this legume is very popular.

There is a brotherhood of chickpeas in Rougiers, a small Provencal village in the Var.

Every year in September, the chickpea festival is organized there.

A few kilometers away, in the Vaucluse department in Cadenet, chef Nadia Sammut runs the restaurant La Fenière.

A pioneer in gluten-free cuisine, it is recognized around the world for its chickpea flour.

She even has a mill to make her own flour.

You will find hummus, but also breadsticks, bread or desserts made from chickpeas. 

Benefit

recipes

for you

Already mouth watering?

The

 has its recipes to enhance the food.

To obtain a smooth hummus, Abdel Alaoui recommends mixing the chickpeas with sesame oil, and adding cottage cheese.

For the spices, "a little cumin, coriander, and garlic".

If you prefer falafels, nothing could be simpler: after soaking chickpeas overnight, mix them with parsley, cilantro, and garlic.

Put the mixture in the fridge for an hour, then form balls before heating them in a pan or fryer.

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 Mayonnaise, chocolate mousse, cookies: three original recipes based on chickpeas

If you're more in the mood for a salad, Mélanie Gomez has a simple recipe: mix a can of canned tuna with drained chickpeas, add a red onion, fresh cilantro, olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

A family recipe, very quick to make.

Fancy a vegan alternative?

Collect the water from the chickpeas in a previous recipe, beat them like egg whites.

Melt the chocolate and then incorporate the water from the chickpeas which has risen to stiff peaks.

One night in the refrigerator, and the next day you will have a very creamy chocolate mousse.