Chickpeas in Panela Syrup, a vegetarian recipe

Name: Chickpeas in Panela Syrup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Guatemala
Ingredients: 300 g dried chickpeas; 250 g panela or dark unrefined cane sugar; 2 cinnamon sticks; 4 cloves; 1 strip of orange zest; 500 ml water; 1 pinch salt

Method

Soak the chickpeas for 12 hours in plenty of cold water.
Drain them and rub them between your palms under running water to loosen the skins. Pour off any that float.
Boil the chickpeas for 45 minutes in unsalted water, until they yield to a finger without collapsing.
Meanwhile heat the water with the panela, cinnamon, cloves and zest. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Let the syrup bubble uncovered for 15 minutes so it thickens.
Drain the chickpeas and tip them into the syrup. Cook uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes.
Add the salt, take the pan off the heat and let everything cool in the syrup. Serve warm, with country bread if you are not avoiding gluten.

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.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

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.

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Chickpeas in Panela Syrup

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Frequently asked questions

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