Recipe taken from Cinnamon Kitchen The Cookbook (£25) by Vivek Singh. Buy the book here. Reproduced with the kind permission of Vivek Singh.
Spiced Chickpea Cakes with Quinoa Salad
Recipe Type: Vegan
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
These spiced chickpea cakes are inspired by falafel. The list of ingredients may appear daunting, but, once you’ve got them, this is one of the simplest things to make. Quinoa, even though it’s been around for centuries, is not generally used in Indian kitchens, I find it works very well if cooked as you would cook a south Indian upma. Although considered ‘the mother of all grains’ by the Incas, quinoa is not a true grain, but is rich in both fibre and protein, so is a good alternative to wheat for coeliacs and a great substitute for meat protein for vegetarians.
Ingredients
- FOR SERVING/COOKING:
- oil for deep-frying
- curried yoghurt, to serve
- FOR THE SPICED CHICKPEA CAKES:
- 250 g boiled chickpeas, drained and coarsely blended
- 2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 5 fresh curry leaves, finely shredded
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 2 lime leaves, finely shredded
- 1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons peanuts, roasted in a dry frying pan and then coarsely crushed
- 1 tablespoon gram (chickpea) flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ajowan seeds
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black onion seeds
- juice of 1 lemon
- FOR THE QUINOA SALAD:
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 200 g quinoa, boiled, drained and left to cool
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Firstly, prepare the quinoa salad.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan to smoking point and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, remove the pan from the heat and pour the oil and seeds into the quinoa.
- Add the remaining ingredients, mix together, adjust the seasoning and set aside.
- Combine all the ingredients for the chickpea cakes.
- With wet hands, divide the mixture into 12 equal balls (they should each weigh about 30g) and flatten slightly.
- Heat enough oil for deepfrying in a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-based saucepan to 180°C.
- Add the chickpea cakes and deep-fry for 1–2 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
- Drain well on kitchen paper and serve immediately while still hot with the quinoa salad and curried yoghurt.
Check out the recipe for Vivek Singh’s accompanying Curried Yoghurt here.
