Egyptian Chickpea & Avocado Salad

An eclectic fusion of Arab and African flavours in one fragrant, colourful Chickpea salad bowl

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My cravings for chickpeas have returned. And I mean, with a vengeance. The last time I had cravings this strong for chickpeas was when I was pregnant, and waddling instead of walking.  At least, then, I had my hormones to blame. This time, there is no easy culprit for these powerful cravings.

These cravings are coming at a time when I have been telling myself that I probably need to go on a journey of self-discovery (that is a topic for another blog post), although that bit about self-discovery is probably my way of legitimising the amount of time I spend lately pondering on seemingly mundane thoughts such as my love of beans,  and my chickpea cravings, amongst other thoughts of similar levels of mundanity. I wonder if these are early signs of a mid-life crises…. but I digress…

Still on the subject of mundane thoughts, Ive often wondered, during this chickpea craving phase, whether  perhaps my brain needs a greater shot of serotonin than it currently has access to, and perhaps as a consequence, this brain, being the rational decision making machine it is, has decided that it is chickpeas to the rescue.

I kind of feel like I am having a eureka moment here, but before I get carried away – I know some people get bent out of shape about these sorts of statements so let me put it out there – I am not suggesting that chickpea cravings are directly correlated to low levels of serotonin in the brain. I am just saying that without getting too analytical or critical, I am willing to accept this as a reasonable explanation for my powerful chickpea cravings. Period!

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Let’s talk for a minute about this salad, which is my take on an ancient Egyptian Chickpea recipe. If you can fit in the time, ditch the can, and cook some dried chickpeas yourself.

If you pre-soak them long enough, you’ll end up with chickpeas that cook to soft in just under two hours. I usually cook a big batch of chickpeas on the weekend, and store it (chickpeas and its cooking liquid) in the fridge until I am ready to eat them. And so, when it comes to preparing this salad, it only takes about 10 minutes to throw everything all together. It really couldn’t be easier…

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Egyptian Chickpea & Avocado Salad

Print Recipe

Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchDinner This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	17 hours

Cook Time

2 hours

Servings Prep Time 4 people 17 hours

Cook Time 2 hours

Egyptian Chickpea & Avocado Salad Print Recipe Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchDinner This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan Servings Prep Time 4 people 17 hours Cook Time 2 hours Servings Prep Time 4 people 17 hours Cook Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 200 g chickpeas dried
• 1 avocado medium-sized
• 1 mango medium, diced
• 2 tomatoes medium, chopped
• 1 onion medium, chopped
• 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• salt to taste
• pine nuts a sprinkle

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

1. Cover the chickpeas with enough water and soak for a minimum of 17 hours
2. Drain the soaked chickpeas, rinse, then add water enough to cover the chickpeas, and then boil until the chickpeas are soft. To test that the chickpeas are done, press a chickpea between your index finger and thumb. Drain, and store chickpeas and the cooking liquid in refrigerator if not eating immediately.
3. In a dry and hot pan, toast the cumin seeds lightly, for 4 - 6 minutes, until the seeds become dark brown and fragrant. Be careful not to let the cumin seeds burn. Set aside when done.
4. Place drained chickpeas in a bowl and combine the rest of the ingredients., including the toasted cumin seeds. Toss the lemon juice, and olive oil and serve immediately

Is this recipe right for you?

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Let me know if I have turned you into a Chickpea convert…

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Take care..

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Emem. xo

Emem

 

Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
Completely nuts about Avocado.