Snack on these absolutely delicious vegan Chickpea Fries, the next hit side dish at your party! They're packed with Indian spices for a burst of flavor and fried or baked until crispy and golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside. They're best served with fried curry leaves and homemade ranch.
In a nonstick pan on medium heat, pour in the olive oil. Once hot, add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute, or until fragrant.
Add all of the ground spices - the coriander, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, bay leaf, onion powder, aamchur - into the pan. Continuously stir the spices in the fat to bloom the flavor for a minute or two.
Lastly, add the fenugreek leaves and nutritional yeast into the spice mixture and roughly stir everything together.
Pour in half of the water, and then half of the besan into the pan with the spices. Whisk everything together, and then add the other half of the water and the remaining besan. Whisk together the besan and spices until there aren't any chunks remaining. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Continue to reduce the mixture for 15 minutes, being sure to give it a stir and scrape down the sides and bottoms to prevent burning. In the meantime, prep a 15 x 9 baker with parchment paper that hangs off of two sides.
Once the besan has reduced by about half and has thickened up, remove the bay leaf and pour it into the baker. Press it down to remove air bubbles and smooth off the top. Cover it with a tea towel or saran wrap and flash freeze it for a minimum of one hour.
Before the end of the freezing period, either preheat the oven to 400°F or begin to heat about 2 cups of neutral oil in a frying pot. After the mixture has set, use the parchment paper to lift it out of the baker. Cut it into half by it's height, and make 14 horizontal cuts to make 28 pieces of chickpea fries.
For baking - Brush the chickpea fries in olive oil. Bake the fries for 30 minutes on a half sheet pan in the oven, or until crispy and golden brown on all four sides. This will depend on the size of your fries. (Optional) Add curry leaves to the pan when there's about 5-7 minutes left until they're crispy.For frying - Once the oil is at 350°F, fry the chickpea fries in small batches until they're crispy and golden brown. Drain the excess oil by transferring the fries to paper towels once fried. (Optional) Fry a few curry leaves until crispy.
Serve the fries immediately with ranch and an extra sprinkle of chili powder.
Notes
To store the chickpea fries, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.To freeze the chickpea fries, flash freeze them in an even layer on a half sheet for about an hour. Then transfer them to a freezer bag. They can be kept for up to six months.To reheat the chickpea fries, simply pop them into the oven at 325°F for 7-10 minutes, or until heated through and crispy on the outside again.