Garbanzos, Gangnam style!

There’s nothing fishy about it!

Hey…Hey… Foxy Lady. Wop wop.. wop wop wop. You gotta try this healthy recipe! Garbanzo beans, AKA chick peas, are the talk of Pinterest right now… hot hot… hot hot hot.

Folks are roasting them whole by the bushel and popping them into their mouths as a handy snack. The bland little beans belong to the legume clan. They’re also the main ingredient of hummus, which is galloping out of more than one refrigerated case at the grocery store these days, in its many guises.

What’s all the fuss? People are looking for gluten-free fiber with a burst of nutrition. Garbanzos fill the bill. One cup of the stuff gives you half the fiber you need in a day, in a single serving. It also delivers 15 grams of protein and 85% of the daily manganese you need, as well as plenty of other minerals.

Manganese is special. We don’t need much of it, but this useful mineral is great for our health. Manganese battles free radicals to reduce risk of  heart disease and cancer. It helps make collagen to speed wound healing and oil achy joints. It partners with iron in the blood  to help prevent anemia. And last but not least, manganese works with calcium for strong bones that resist breaking.

Toasted chick peas can be spiced up any way you like. But I thought we would gallop along to the Korean rap tune from PSY and try on a whack of Korean spices for size. Koreans love soy sauce, soybean paste and red pepper paste. These sauces are enjoyed with onions, garlic, scallions, ginger, sesame oil, and crushed sesame. It’s no surprise, after having trotted along to Opan Gangnam Style myself, that powdered red pepper is the most popular spice in Korea!

I’ve tried roasting chick peas before,  mildly seasoned  two different ways. Really, they were a bust. That’s why I say go all out with the seasoning on chickpeas. Or don’t bother with them at all.

Also, be very careful with the timing. A second too long and they taste like dust. Or bunny pellets. Just not good.

But roasted chickpeas would be such a great snack  if only I could get them right! So I thought it was worth persevering… for the manganese, alone. Here’s what I came up with.

PSY’s  roasted garbanzo beans

2 cups canned chickpeas (1 15-oz tin)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon red chili paste (or more if you like things nice and hot)
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves chopped garlic

I took the dresses off this batch but it isn’t necessary

Preheat the oven to 375̊ F. Drain the chickpeas in a colander and rinse very well. Put them on a towel to dry a bit. Some recipes say to take the transparent coverings off the beans. I’ve done this in the past, but this  time round I left them on and the result was better than ever. Put the beans in a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Toss until the beans are evenly coated.

Spread them out in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Toss the pan every 10 or 15 minutes. Don’t let the beans blacken. Watch carefully the last 10 minutes or so. They’re done when they’re dryish, a little rubbery in the mouth, not too crunchy! Turn the oven off and let the beans cool in the hot oven. This will dry them further, without turning them to sawdust. Just the way you want them.

When they’re completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to a week (as if they’d last that long).

For a serving of 1/2 cup: Calories (kcal) 180.3, Fat (g) 4.7 including 0.6 g saturated fat, Carbohydrate (g) 28.7 including 5.6 g fibre, Protein (g) 6.5, Sodium (mg) 585.1, Potassium (mg) 248.0, Calcium (mg) 47.5, Vitamin A (RAE) 5.0, Vitamin C (mg) 6.5, Folate (DFE) 86.0.

It’s pretty clear grown-ups would like this tasty treat. But how popular are they with the shorter set? I called in my trusty taste tester to find out.

“Absolutely fabulous,” says Isla. “Oppa Gangnam Style!” Translation: Awesome! I say: you don’t taste the heat from just 1 teaspoon red chili paste. You feel only the slightest nip. Most of the flavor comes from the soy sauce and ginger. If you’re making these for PSY, though, and not the kids, you might like to shake a little cayenne into the mix. Wop Wop Wop Wop!

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Search for roasted chick peas or garbanzos on Pinterest and you’ll find hundreds of recipes. Here’s one I used for inspiration, from The Improv Kitchen. Thanks so much!