Fried Channa (garbanzo bean or chickpeas) are a popular treat here in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s a frequent go to snack for all occasions. You can see fried channa being served for Christmas alongside roasted, fried or honey roasted peanuts in a serving tray for the guests or, in my case, Paranderos during a House Parang.
Fried Channa For All Occasions
Also, fried channa can be seen partying alongside other finger foods for a lime by the beach, a birthday party or just a family lime with friends at home. Or, just by itself while watching a good action movie. Yeah! The adrenaline rush; the blasting of the T.V. speakers to the Ra-Ta-Tat! of Machine Guns firing behind your favourite action hero (somehow they never get hit lol!!) ; you’re on the edge of your seat eager to see what happens next. A few handfuls of spicy fried channa is all you need in all the excitement. I may even term it real “action movie food.”
Anyhow I always digress ….
Today I have a tale of two channas or two fried channas to be more exact. My fried channa escapade happened when I had no popcorn to pop one day. Usually, popcorn is the fastest snack to prepare when we’re watching movies at home. But, that day popcorn “left the building” lol 🙂 So, what else do I have Aha! Channa to the rescue, but I will have to soak it first. One day’s wait was OK. I would eventually have something to snack on the day after.
Along the way though, with some research I found out that there were two methods to making fried channa. The first was the split channa: this was a little more work oriented than the second method but was just as satisfying. You will learn a simple way to remove the skins from the channa as we get into the recipe. The second is the more popular option that is bottled and sold in the supermarkets, salted or unsalted; spicy or not. This method doesn’t require you to remove the skin from the channa so it’s much faster. So let’s get into the recipes shall we?
Split Fried Channa Recipe
SPLIT FRIED CHANNA
1 lb. dried chick peas
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp Chadon Beni, minced
hot pepper to taste, chopped (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp. salt or to taste
Coconut oil, for frying
Soak channa overnight making sure the water covers the peas. Rinse and drain.
Boil in water with baking soda added until it froths. Drain under cold water.
Roll between a towel or cloth to remove skins easily.
Note: This is where the work starts. You’ll have to remove the skins of the whole batch.
Add channa to deep pot.
Cover with oil.
Fry over a low flame until golden brown…
…..and drain on paper towels.
Add garlic, hot pepper, chadon beni and salt in a bowl.
Add fried channa and mix thoroughly. Serve cool. Enjoy!
Split Fried Channa
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried chick peas
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Chadon Beni minced
- hot pepper to taste chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt or to taste
- Coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Soak channa overnight making sure the water covers the peas. Rinse and drain.
- Boil in water with baking soda added until it froths. Drain under cold water.
- Roll between a towel or cloth to remove skins easily.
- Note: This is where the work starts. You’ll have to remove the skins of the whole batch.
- Add channa to deep pot.
- Cover with oil.
- Fry over a low flame until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
- Add garlic, hot pepper, chadon beni and salt in a bowl.
- Add fried channa and mix thoroughly. Serve cool. Enjoy!
Now for the other recipe
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Fried Channa Recipe
FRIED CHANNA
1 lb. dried channa (chick peas, garbanzo bean)
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp Chadon Beni, minced
hot pepper to taste, chopped (optional)
1/2 Tbsp. salt or to taste
Coconut oil, for frying
Soak channa overnight making sure the water covers the chickpeas. Rinse and drain.
Add channa to a deep pot, cover with oil and fry over a low fire until golden brown.
Note: A low fire gives you more control over the frying so you will not burn the channa. If you think you can do it over a medium fire then by all means do so.
Drain on paper towels.
Add garlic, hot pepper, chadon beni and salt in a bowl.
Add fried channa and mix thoroughly. Serve cool.
Fried Channa
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried channa chick peas, garbanzo bean
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Chadon Beni minced
- hot pepper to taste chopped (optional)
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt or to taste
- Coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Soak channa overnight making sure the water covers the chickpeas. Rinse and drain.
- Add channa to a deep pot, cover with oil and fry over a low fire until golden brown.
- Note: A low fire gives you more control over the frying so you will not burn the channa. If you think you can do it over a medium fire then by all means do so.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Add garlic, hot pepper, chadon beni and salt in a bowl.
- Add fried channa and mix thoroughly. Serve cool.
Well that’s it for another lovely spicy post. More recipes to come as usual.
Ah gone!
Hi Felix. Did any of your fried channa methods result in exploding peas? I remember when I was younger and we were frying channa, it would be a scary time trying to give them a turn in the pot as some would pop and send hot oil all over the place. For this reason we stopped.
Nope no exploding peas in my kitchen.
do you dry the channa before frying ? You say rinse & drain is that all that is required ?/
In both cases the channa was in the towel so it was dried in that way yes.
Thanks
can u use canned chickpeas rinsed & dried
If that’s what you have access to.
How long do you fry channa at low heat before it gets CRISPY
based on experience it usually takes about 45 mins. you’ll know when it’s good when the channa begins to float to the top.
Whoa!!? 45mins?? I would have never guess it would fry that long.
I think that’s a VERY VERY important instruction to be included in the recipe. It can’t be left out for new people trying out the recipe. My channa was cooking for about 12-15mins before it started to get dark on low heat. However I guess it wasn’t low enough.
I would never guess to fry for nearly an hour.
I believe you answered yourself. Just put your stove to the lowest setting and all will be fine. Another good way of knowing when it’s ready is that the channa will float to the top as well. Thanks for commenting.
Can you season the channa before frying rather than after?
Try it and taste the results.
Could you bake chickpea in the oven instead of frying and at what temp please
It just might work. But that’s a new territory for me. I never baked it in the oven.
Hi do I put the channa in cold oil an let it heat up?
Absolutely. You have to do that. That let it heat slowly, under low fire.