Braised green chickpeas with pomegranate and feta

Here is a wonderful and unusual recipe. The season for fresh chickpeas just got over, but I had enough for this recipe and the amazing Fresh chickpea kebabs (Hare chane ki seekh), one of the most viewed recipes on this site. At home, we all loved the flavours of this dish; it truly surprised us. The earthy fresh chickpeas are glazed with the sweet-sour pomegranate molasses and accentuated by the herbs, the sweet pop of pomegranate seeds and the salt from the creamy feta cheese. If fresh chickpeas are impossible to find and are readily available in most Indian stores in the US in the frozen section, you can substitute dried green chickpeas instead. I also use a creamy feta, French or Bulgarian style, rather than the crumbly kind, as it adds a luxurious creaminess to the dish.

This recipe highlights the focus of the book and, by extension, the restaurant: unusual ingredients creatively and thoughtfully put together into amazing dishes. This book is amongst my favourites for sides and vegetarian fare, as well as for its meat and fish sides. I highly recommend this cookbook for those looking for the unusual, and a visit to this restaurant is on my bucket list.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 -3 shallots, minced

1 carrot, finely diced, to the size of the chickpeas

1 celery rib, diced to the size of the chickpeas

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Salt to taste

1 lb shelled fresh green chickpeas

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup water or stock

1/4 cup fresh mint

Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

In a large flat pan, heat the oil on a medium flame and sauté the shallots, carrots, and celery until soft but not browned. Add the pomegranate molasses and stir well. Add the chickpeas, thyme, stock, and bay leaf and cook on a slow simmer until the chickpeas are cooked through but still have a firm bite, about 10 minutes. The liquid Should be thick enough to glaze and stick to the chickpeas. Cool.

When ready to serve, warm slightly and stir in the lemon or lime juice and mint leaves. Serve with crumbled feta cheese and mix in; however, if you have very soft feta cheese, layer it as slabs on top. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.