Deep-fried Chickpeas With Spicy Harissa Chorizo Dip

Deep-fried chickpeas with a spicy harissa chorizo dip make the best sharing snack, crunchy, moreish, and with a hint of heat!

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

Jump to:

• Are Chickpeas, Garbanzo beans, and Egyptian Peas the same thing?
• Ingredients
• How to make deep-fried chickpeas
• Top tip
• Wine pairing for these deep-fried garbanzo beans
• Substitutions and variations
• Equipment
• Deep-frying food safely
• What to do with leftover oil after deep frying
• Storage
• FAQ
• Desserts to pair with this snack
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

The chorizo dip made with yogurt is a refreshing contrast to the tempura beer batter that provides the essential acidity to cut through the richness. Harissa paste is mixed with yogurt 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'm a fan of chickpeas, so I always have them in my pantry as I love hummus so much, so I decided to make something with it all. Harissa is a favorite flavor of mine; it's an aromatic chili paste that also hails from the Middle East, so in terms of a flavor profile, it matches this addictive snack perfectly.

Are Chickpeas, Garbanzo beans, and Egyptian Peas 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 chickpeas grown and eaten around the world, and they are enjoyed hot or cold, in stews, salads, falafels, and even ground into chickpeas flour, known as gram.

Ingredients

Deep-fried chickpeas 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!

1. Chickpeas: Your chickpeas need to be cooked before you can start with this recipe. Use canned chickpeas for ease, or cook your raw chickpeas according to packaged instructions.
2. Tempura batter mix: Tempura batter is flavorless and only brings the best texture to the party, so I like to make tempura with beer to give a bit more depth to the deep-fried chickpeas, which also have a mild flavor.
3. Beer - this needs to be ice cold, so keep it in the fridge and move to the freezer for 20 minutes before you start this recipe.
4. Cooking oil:  Any cooking oil that's suitable for deep frying (such as corn oil, rapeseed oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil).
5. Yogurt: I used plain yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt is fine. Just avoid using any flavored yogurt.
6. Harissa paste: This spicy chili paste is commonly made with roasted red pepper, chili peppers, and spice blend.
7. Chorizo sausage: I used the inside of the sausage without the casing.
8. Salt and black pepper to taste.

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions.

How to make deep-fried chickpeas

1. First, drain your chick 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 them, then the fat will spit, and it can be dangerous, so this is an important step.
2. Make your yogurt, harissa, and chorizo dip by mixing the harissa paste with the yogurt in a small bowl and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
3. 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.
4. Using a kitchen knife, chop the crispy chorizo pieces into a fine crumb, and scatter them on top of the harissa yogurt dip.

5. 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.

Hint: The beer needs to be ice cold, so keep it in the fridge and then 20 minutes before you make the tempura batter, transfer it to the freezer to chill it down even more.

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

7. 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).

8. Carefully, using either a tablespoon or your fingers, scoop up 5-8 chickpeas 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 fry chickpeas in 3 or 4 clusters at a time. They will not take long, 1-2 minutes each, until a pale golden brown.

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

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

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-layer line as possible to achieve a longer shape. Play around with it a bit and have fun with what shapes you can create!

Wine pairing for these deep-fried garbanzo beans

Try serving the Middle Eastern flavor 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 flavors in this beer-battered and deep-fried chickpeas 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 deep-fried chickpeas recipe with harissa chorizo dip to suit you.

1. Beans - try this recipe with other types of cooked beans like Kidney beans, borlotti beans, or Broad beans.
2. Spice - add more harissa paste, or add additional chili flakes or chili powder to the dip.
3. Vegan - use coconut yogurt and skip the chorizo.
4. Alcohol-free - use ice-cold sparkling water instead of beer.

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

Equipment

Using a deep 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.

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.

What to do with leftover oil after deep frying

Once you have finished deep-frying chickpeas, 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 savory deep frying for savory dishes and sweet for sweet, as the oil will take on the flavor 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 deep-fried chickpeas in an airtight container and eat within 2-3 days. To retain their crunch, keep them away from moisture. Store leftover harissa yogurt dip and crumbled chorizo in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

FAQ

Desserts to pair with this snack

📖 Recipe