Beer-Battered Egyptian Peas With Spicy Harissa Chorizo Dip

Beer-battered Egyptian peas with a spicy harissa chorizo dip that make the best sharing snack - crunchy, moreish and with a hint of heat!

In this Egyptian pea recipe, we coat cooked Egyptian peas in tempura batter made with beer and deep-fry them in small clusters in a free form shape to create these wonderfully sculptural and unusual looking crispy snacks. Served hot alongside a cool and refreshing yet delicately spiced yoghurt harissa dip topped with crumbled crispy chorizo - this is one of my favourite recipes for a snack or appetizer to share with friends. But be warned, it will disappear fast so make a lot!

The chorizo dip made with yoghurt is a refreshing contrast to the tempura beer batter that provides the essential acidity to cut through the richness. Harissa paste is mixed with yoghurt and topped with crumbled pieces of crispy chorizo sausage, ready to be scooped up and enjoyed.

The inspiration for this crunchy appetizer recipe came to me after I made Popcorn Calamari and had leftover Tempura mix, and I always have chickpeas in my pantry as I love hummus so much so I decided to make something with it all. Harissa is a favourite flavour of mine, it's an aromatic chilli paste that also hails from the Middle East so in terms of a flavour profile it matches this dish perfectly.

Tempura batter is flavourless and only brings texture to the party so I like to make tempura with beer to give a bit more depth to the Egyptian peas, which also have a mild flavour.

Jump to:

• Are Egyptian Peas, Chickpeas and Garbanzo beans the same thing?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Wine pairing for harissa
• Substitutions and variations
• Equipment
• What to do with leftover oil after deep frying
• Storage
• Top tip
• Beer Battered Egyptian Peas With Spicy Harissa Chorizo Dip
• Deep-frying food safely

Are Egyptian Peas, Chickpeas and Garbanzo beans the same thing?

Yes! In the UK, we call Egyptian peas chickpeas, and the name garbanzo is derived from the Spanish word for chickpea. They are one of the earliest legumes to be cultivated and originated in the Middle East. There are many different varieties of Egyptian pea grown and eaten around the world, and they are enjoyed hot or cold, in stews, salads, falafels and even ground into flour, known as gram.

Ingredients

Beer battered Egyptian Peas are easy to make and require only a few ingredients. But as with any deep-fried recipe, get everything ready and prepared ahead of time as once those battered beans drop into the hot oil, they'll be ready fast!

• Cooked Egyptian peas (or Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans)
• Tempura batter mix
• Beer - this needs to be ice cold
• Cooking oil suitable for deep frying (such as corn oil, rapeseed oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil)
• Plain yoghurt
• Harissa paste
• Chorizo sausage
• Salt and pepper

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

First, drain your Egyptian peas in a sieve and then ensure they are completely dry by putting them on a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess water. If there is water on them before you batter and deep fry then the fat will spit and it can be dangerous, so this is an important step.

Make your yoghurt, harissa and chorizo dip by mixing the harissa paste with the yoghurt and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Peel the skin off the chorizo sausage and break it into small pieces. Pan fry in a little cooking oil until crispy, then leave to cool on some kitchen paper to soak up the excess fat.

Using a kitchen knife, chop the crispy chorizo pieces into a fine crumb, and scatter on top of the harissa yoghurt dip.

Measure out the ice-cold beer and tempura batter mix, and combine them together in a mixing bowl. Don't overwork it, as this can compromise the gluten structure and result in less than crispy tempura.

Heat a saucepan with the oil for deep frying and use a thermometer to check the temperature.

Monitor the temperature of the oil until it reaches between 160 degrees Celsius and 180 degrees Celsius (or 320 degrees Fahrenheit and 350 degrees Fahrenheit).

Carefully, using either a tablespoon or your fingers, scoop up 5-8 Egyptian peas and pour/drip them quickly into the hot oil so that they deep fry in a cluster. Depending on the size of your saucepan, you can deep fry 3 or 4 clusters at a time. They will not take long, 1-2 minutes each until a pale golden brown.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the beer-battered Egyptian peas from the hot oil to a plate covered in kitchen paper to soak up excess oil.

Once all of your deep-fried Egyptian peas are done, serve them on a large platter with the spicy harissa chorizo dip and enjoy!

Hint: The beer needs to be ice cold, so keep it in the fridge and then ten minutes before you make the tempura batter, transfer it to the freezer to chill it down even more.

Wine pairing for harissa

Try serving the Middle Eastern flavour of harissa with Lebanese white wine. Pairing a dish with a wine from the same region of the world is always a good tactic and we need a wine that stands up to the strongest flavours in this beer-battered Egyptian pea recipe. Grapes grown in Lebanon include Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Muscat along with native varietals like Obaideh and Merweh.

Substitutions and variations

Here are a few ways you can adapt this beer-battered Egyptian peas recipe with harissa chorizo dip to suit you.

• Beans - try this recipe with other types of beans like Kidney beans, Borlotti beans or Broad beans.
• Spice - add more harissa paste, or add additional chilli flakes to the dip.
• Vegan - use coconut yoghurt and skip the chorizo.
• Alcohol-free - use sparkling water instead of beer

Love beans? Try this refreshing broad bean dip that is perfect in the summertime. Ever struggle with knowing what's in season? Subscribers to the Rosanna ETC mailing list get a free PDF guide on when to get the best fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.

Equipment

Using a deep fat fryer makes this recipe easier as you can set the temperature and away you go. But for those of us that don't have one, use a deep and high sided saucepan. It doesn't need to be that big, and in fact, a smaller saucepan is ideal as you can get more depth to the oil. Ideally, you'll have at least 3 inches of oil to deep fry in.

What to do with leftover oil after deep frying

Once you have finished deep-frying, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool completely. Then strain it using a fine-mesh sieve to remove any pieces of batter that remain. Keep it in a clean and airtight container or bottle and you can reuse it! It's best to keep oil used for savoury deep frying for savoury dishes and sweet for sweet as the oil will take on the flavour of what you are cooking to some extent. Do not pour leftover oil down the sink - check online for local services that will recycle it.

Storage

Store leftover beer-battered Egyptian peas in an airtight container and eat within 2-3 days. To retain their crunch, keep them away from moisture. Store leftover harissa yoghurt dip and crumbled chorizo in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

When dropping the battered chickpeas into the hot oil, try not to drop them in a ball or clump. Take some in your fingers and drop them in carefully in as much of a single line as possible to achieve a longer shape. Play around with it a bit and have fun with what shapes you can create!

Deep-frying food safely

• Use an oil with a high smoke point like corn oil, sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.
• Measure the temperature of the oil with a thermometer to ensure you are in the right range.
• Do not leave the oil unattended whilst heating it or deep frying.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove food from the hot oil.