Savoury snacks are essential to enjoying a drink (alcoholic or not), getting through a long day, enjoying a movie/show and generally driving away hunger pangs at any time. Are you a snacky person too?
A lot of snacks that are available nowadays are the packaged, deep fried variety. While they are usually tasty, they are also massively unhealthy! I’m on a mission to find easy to make, healthier snacks for my million snacking needs!
First up – roasted Masala Channa!
For the longest time, I thought the only way to eat chickpeas was in a curry form (regular curry or a tangy version works too). Then I discovered they are good in salads (shall share a recipe soon) and also as spicy snack. They are also the base for my favourite dip, hummus. It’s amazing how versatile one ingredient can be!
The crispy, spicy version is super tasty but you know it’s not good for your health!
I am a firm believer in the power of baked goods. An oven, or as my friend H calls it ‘the thing in your kitchen that gives out heat’, is one of the best things to have around. This version of masala Channa is baked and needs infinitely less oil and spices than it’s packaged counterpart.
Once the chickpeas are cooked in a pressure cooker (the normal time of cooking) and then cooled , it takes around 45-60 mins in the oven for these babies to be ready to devour.
I kept the spices minimal and simple. You can find them anywhere (most likely already have them in your kitchen). The only thing that takes some effort, in this recipe, is keeping an eye on what’s happening in the oven. Given how ovens have hotspots and that spices can burn, it’s important to move the chickpeas around every 15 minutes and to rotate the pan halfway through.
This ensures that every piece is nice and crispy, crunchy and coated with spice. YUM!
Make a big batch and keep in an airtight container for a few days. It will serve your snacking needs well 🙂
Roasted Masala Channa
Ingredients
4 cups cooked chickpeas
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp red chilli powder
1.5 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1.5 tsp garam masala powder
Directions
- Spread out the cook chickpeas on a tray and leave them out to cool for at least 30 minutes
- Pre heat the oven to 200C and line a tray with baking paper
- Mix the cooled chickpeas with 1 tsp salt, the pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil
- Spread them out on the tray so that they are in one later
- Bake at 200 for 30 minutes, stirring them around after 15 minutes
- Add the rest of the oil, the chilli, cumin, garlic and garam masala powders and mix well
- Reduce the temperature to 175C and bake for another 20-30 minutes till the chickpeas are crunchy. Rotate the pan midway to enable equal heating
- Adjust salt if needed
- Once done, take them out and let them cool for 20 mins. Store in airtight container or serve right away. Happy Snacking!
My Tuck Box 
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