This spiced chick peas or granm is a healthy, comforting, delicious and high fiber snack which is an Indian contribution to the Seychelles Creole Cuisine.
Chick peas
This easy to make dish features a healthy mixture of chick peas, onion, and spices and is extremely flavorful, and satisfying. In Seychelles granm has traditionally been eaten a snack and not as part of a main meal in itself.
Spiced Chick Peas- Granm
There are different types of chick peas, sometimes known as garbanzo beans, and they come in different colours including black, green and red but in Seychelles the beige is the most popular.
This spiced chick peas recipe is inspired by Tin Samy, a Seychellois of Indian origin, who was reknown in his time for the best granm in Seychelles. I used to drop into his small shop in Victoria on Saturday afternoons on the way to watch football matches at then Gordon Square, or when just taking a stroll to the long pier to watch the boats coming in, and buy a korne of granm. A korne was a paper cone made out of newspaper glued together with rice congee. There were no takeaway containers then.
Spiced Chick Peas in Paper Cone- Granm dan Korne
Like other legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, chickpeas are high in fiber and protein, and contain several key vitamins and minerals. They are also enriched with calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorous, fibre, potassium and folic acid and are a prominent feature in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. They are very versatile and easy to cook.
Handling Tips
If you are using dried chick peas it is critical that you sort them properly. Check for any small gravel or other debris that may have wound up in the package.
It is also recommended that you wash and soak your chick peas. Soak chick peas in water for 8 to 10 hours before cooking in order to achieve optimum flavor and texture. It’s possible to tell they are finished soaking when they can be split easily between the fingers. Soaking dried legumes, which includes chick peas reduces the amount of time needed to cook them, and also helps remove some of the oligosaccharides that cause gastrointestinal distress as well as harmful substances found in raw legumes.
If you are using tinned chick peas, there is no need to soak, all you require to do is open the tin, drain the peas and give them a quick wash.
Here is the recipe for Spiced Chick Peas – Granm
- 250 g dried chick peas
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 8 curry leaves, chopped
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 small bunch of coriander , chopped (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Place the chick peas in about one litre of water add ½ teaspoon of salt and soak overnight.
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Boil in soaking liquid for about 10 minutes to remove the raw taste. The peas should still be crunchy.
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Drain and allow to cool
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Heat oil in a pan until hot.
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Add onion and sauté until golden
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Add all other remaining ingredients and sauté for about 5 minutes
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Add chick peas and toss for about 5 minutes.
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Serve warm or cold, ideally in the traditional paper cone
- If you do not have time to soak the chick peas you can boil for about 45 minutes.
- You may also used tinned chick peas , but the texture will be more powdery. I prefer to have some crunch in the peas.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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