Spicy Toasted Garbanzo Beans

These are excellent when they're hot out of the oven. I made them for the Swamp Pigs. I didn't think they were extremely spicy, but some of the more sensitive souls [i.e. the Southern white boys] coulnd't handle them. The next day they're still ok ... but really, they're best hot.

• 2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• garam masala
• chaat masala
• 1 cup shelled raw pistachios or cashews
• sea salt
  

• Soak garbanzo beans over night. Change the water, bring to a boil, and then let simmer until beans are cooked - this can take three hours or more. When they're done, spread them out on a sheet to dry a bit.

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss garbanzo beans with oil and garam masala. Bake on a sheet for about 20 minutes. Add nuts, and bake for 15 more minutes, or until beans are crunchy on the outside and meaty on the inside.

• Season with sea salt and lots of chaat masala.
  

• Notes: I used olive oil, but I think other oils might make for a crispier snack. Also, the type of pan is important. I used a hard cookie sheet once, and it was good. I used a disposable aluminum pan once, and it all came out mushy. And using fresh a spice mix is key. The original recipe called for thyme, but I think the Indian spices go really well with this.

Garam Masala

• 2 T coriander
• 1 T cumin
• 10 cardamom pods
• 2 t mustard seeds
• 2 t fenugreek
• 2 t black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 2 bay leaves

• Toast and Grind. You don't really need to measure things, as spices come out different every time.
  

Chaat Masala

• 1 T Cumin Seed
• 1 T Black Pepper Corns
• 1 T fenugreek
• 2 Long Pepper
• 5 Cloves
• 1 Star Anise
• 1/2 T dried Mint Leaves
• 1/4th t Asafoetida Powder
• 1 T Rock Salt
• 1 t Ginger Powder
• 1 t Cayenne
• 1/4 tsp Tartaric Acid
  

• Toast the hard spices. Add everything to a coffee grinder and grind away. This one you put on food after it's cooked. Keeps a long time in the freezer. The original recipe called for 2T dried mango powder and 1.4 t carom seeds. I play around with this - the key is it should be tart and spicey.