Panisses
Chickpea panisses are chickpea flour fritters. A classic Provençal street food, they're as satisfying as French fries, but easier to make because you don't need to deep fry them. Don't skip the step of chilling the batter though; in order to hold their shape while pan-frying the batter needs to be cold.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for pan
- 2 cups chickpea flour (300g)
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- Chermoula, to serve (optional)
- Aioli, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Get ready. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and then brush the bottom and sides of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil.
- Cook the chickpea mixture. Combine the chickpea flour, water, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom, until smooth and uniform, about 5 minutes.The mixture will be smooth and sticky.
- Cool the chickpea mixture. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Oil a spatula and smooth the top into an even layer. Cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge, with parchment pressed to the surface. Chill thoroughly until completely firm, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.
- Slice into fries. Once set, oil a cutting board with a thin layer of olive oil, and gently invert the chickpea mixture on top of it. Peel away the parchment paper. Slice the slab in half, and then slice each half into 12 to 14 batons or fries. You can cut them thinner or thicker, if you like, but they’re fragile and I find keeping them on the thick side (about 3/4-inch) makes them easier to work with, or at least less likely to break. Gently pat each baton dry.
- Fry the panisses. In a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the panisses and fry on each side until they’re golden-brown all over, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and immediately sprinkle with salt. Repeat the process with the second batch, adding 3 more tablespoons of olive oil, as needed. Serve immediately, while piping hot, with chermoula and/or aioli for dipping.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and chermoula used in this recipe.
- Can you air fry panisse? I found that air frying panisses worked in that they held their shape, but it didn’t work very well. Instead of getting those golden brown edges to contrast the creamy interior, they were just kind of dry and pale. One thing that did work was air frying them to dry out their edges, then pan frying them in just a little oil to get some nice browning. But because they turned out just as well only pan-fried, I can’t really recommend adding the step of air frying.
Nutrition
Calories: 208.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.3g | Protein: 6.7g | Fat: 12.5g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.1g | Sodium: 606.7mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 3.3g | Vitamin A: 12.3IU | Calcium: 17.5mg | Iron: 1.5mg
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