VegetiveFrançais

Chickpeas in Panela Syrup

Local name: Garbanzos en miel

Chickpeas candied in a cinnamon panela syrup, the Lenten dessert served across Guatemala during Holy Week.

VeganGluten-free#chickpeas#panela#cinnamon#dessert#lent
Chickpeas in Panela Syrup

Photo: Luisfi · CC BY-SA 3.0

Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Total
65 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy

Method

  1. Soak the chickpeas for 12 hours in plenty of cold water.
  2. Drain them and rub them between your palms under running water to loosen the skins. Pour off any that float.
  3. Boil the chickpeas for 45 minutes in unsalted water, until they yield to a finger without collapsing.
  4. Meanwhile heat the water with the panela, cinnamon, cloves and zest. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
  5. Let the syrup bubble uncovered for 15 minutes so it thickens.
  6. Drain the chickpeas and tip them into the syrup. Cook uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes.
  7. Add the salt, take the pan off the heat and let everything cool in the syrup. Serve warm with country bread.

Removing the skins decides the result. An intact skin blocks the syrup and leaves a bland chickpea sitting in the middle of a sweet dessert.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really have to peel the chickpeas?

Yes, this is the step that decides the dessert. An intact skin blocks the syrup and leaves a bland chickpea inside a sweet dish. Rub them between your palms under water after soaking and skim off the skins that float up.

Can I use brown sugar instead of panela?

Whole cane sugar works, as listed. Ordinary brown sugar gives a paler, more neutral syrup, because panela keeps far more molasses and brings the deep notes that define this dessert.

My syrup is still thin at the end. What do I do?

Lift out the chickpeas and let the syrup reduce uncovered on its own for a few minutes before returning them. Remember it thickens further as it cools, since the chickpeas cool down in it.

Read more

Have you cooked this dish?

No ratings yet.

Give it a rating

More recipes from Guatemala

ChirmolGuatemala

Chirmol

Fire-charred tomatoes chopped by knife with onion and mint, a sauce no Guatemalan table sits down without.

⏱ 30 min·EasyVeganGluten-free
Red Beans with ChanterellesGuatemala

Red Beans with Chanterelles

Red beans simmered with chanterelles and tomato, the rainy-season dish of the Guatemalan highlands.

⏱ 55 min·EasyVeganGluten-free
Rellenitos de plátanoGuatemala

Rellenitos de plátano

Guatemalan fritters of mashed ripe plantain filled with sweetened black bean paste, fried and rolled in sugar.

⏱ 60 min·MediumVeganGluten-free