Moroccan Cumin Chickpeas

I live in a very diverse area in a high rise with neighbors of all nationalities. Last night my friend Suzanne, who is originally from Morocco, invited a group of us for dinner to taste some of her authentic family recipes. Moroccan Cumin Chickpeas was one of her recipes which happens to be vegan and gluten free.

Being a vegetarian, I have certainly eaten my share of chickpeas ( garbanzo beans) , but her recipe really intrigued me. First of all the chickpeas were slightly smaller in size than the ones I usually see. In addition, they had a brown golden hue and the fragrant aroma of cumin. I was excited to dig in to the slightly saucy beans, and I wasn't disappointed. They were exotic in taste, smooth and buttery in texture, and very delicious. ( of course you gotta like cumin and we do!)

The chickpea recipe makes a nice side dish for any meal or a wonderful addition to a Middle Eastern Mezza ( appetizer salads)

To say that Suzanne is an outstanding cook is an understatement. I will write another post describing more of her other unique dishes that she served at this outstanding meal.

Can Make it in a Regular Pot or an Instant Pot

Although Suzanne made her chickpeas in a regular pot, I decided to make mine in my Instant Pot which saves hours of time with quality results. ( I'll give the recipe both ways)

Other Moroccan Recipes

I'm glad to add Moroccan Cumin Chickpeas to my list of Moroccan recipes that meat gluten free standards.

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Ingredients:

1 bag of dry chick peas ( like Goya Brand) , washed and soaked overnight

Directions for Instant Pot: ( 20 minutes)

Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into the Instant Pot. Add the garlic and saute in the Instant Pot for 1 minutes. Turn off saute mode and switch to manual or pressure cook. Add washed and soaked uncooked chickpeas, turmeric, cumin, salt and water. Cook in Instant pot on high pressure for 20 minutes. Allow to steam release on it's own.

Directions for Regular Pot:

Place 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a 5 quart pot. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add dry soaked overnight chickpeas and stir in the oil in garlic. Add turmeric, cumin, and salt and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for one and half hours until chick peas are soft. Add additional boiling water if needed or boiling vegetable broth.

My Notes:

1. This recipe is extremely economical to make

2. This recipe makes a tasty side dish for any meal or with a salad it's lunch

3. The Instant Pot make it so fast and easy

4. No need to use cans that have aluminum and bpa

5. Very high in fiber and other nutrients

6. Great recipe when health matters