Chickpea mash with crispy basil

  • 6
  • 2 hours 30 minutes plus time for the chickpeas to soak overnight
5.00

Chickpeas make a great alternative to mashed potatoes, thanks to their nutty flavour and creamy texture. This mash is chunkier than hummus, with some of the chickpeas keeping their form while others are creamy. The fried basil is simple to make, looks pretty and adds a different texture to the mash, but you could also use chopped fresh herbs.

First published in 2023

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Fried herbs

  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 bunch of basil, leaves picked

Method

1

Cover the chickpeas with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak overnight

2

The next day, drain the chickpeas and place them in a large saucepan with the bay leaf, onion, garlic, cumin seeds and dried chilli. Cover with vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender

3

Remove the bay leaf and transfer the beans and their cooking liquid (including the onion, garlic and spices) to a blender, working in batches to ensure the blender is never more than half full

4

Blend some batches until smooth and creamy and then just briefly blitz others so that they stay chunky. Season the mash well with salt and pepper

5

Make the crispy basil by heating the oil to a depth of 0.5cm in a frying pan. Add a handful of basil at a time - the leaves will crisp up in around 10 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the basil, draining the crispy leaves on kitchen paper

  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 bunch of basil, leaves picked
6

Serve the mash drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, topped with the crispy basil

First published in 2023

GBC Kitchen is where you'll find accessible, inspiring recipes with a twist, from our in-house team of recipe developers. Perfect for mid-week meals or special occasions alike, GBC Kitchen recipes will help you become a more confident cook, and impress those around you in the meantime! Don't forget to check out our brand new How to Cook guide every month, which focuses on a specific ingredient and ways to use it, alongside four brand new recipes.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.