Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

When I was young, every winter my family would roast soybeans and black beans. During our free time, we would sit together, chat, and snack on these crunchy roasted beans. They were not just a simple snack. In traditional Chinese medicine, beans are considered the “grain of the kidney,” and their shape resembles the kidney. Therefore, consuming beans is believed to help nourish the kidneys.

However, beans are not easy to digest, so they are generally not recommended during spring and summer, when the spleen and stomach tend to be weaker. In winter, when yang energy is stored internally, it is considered the ideal time to nourish the kidneys. This is one of the main reasons why roasted beans are commonly eaten in winter.

But why roast the beans instead of boiling them? Do you know the reason? Think about it—I’ll explain in next post

Today, I made a simple batch of roasted chickpeas. They are wonderfully crispy and delicious. The recipes as below:

Soak the chickpeas in three times their volume of water for about 24 hours. Legumes generally have a tough outer shell to protect their nutrients, so they should be soaked until they begin to sprout slightly—this helps loosen the skins.

Discard the soaking water, rinse the chickpeas several times with clean water, then add fresh water and cook for about 20–30 minutes, until they are tender when bitten. Drain while hot, and gently pat dry the surface moisture with kitchen paper.

According to the amount of chickpeas and personal taste, first add 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil, then season with sugar or salt, garlic powder, and cumin powder. If you like it spicy, you can also add some chili powder. Shake or toss well so that the seasonings evenly coat each chickpea.

Spread the chickpeas evenly on a baking tray. Preheat the oven and roast at 190°C for 30–50 minutes, checking occasionally, until the chickpeas turn golden and crispy.