Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

📝 Ingredients

• 2 tins of chickpeas (2 × 400 g, i.e. 480 g drained)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 lime (zest)

🍴 Utensils

• Baking sheet
• Baking paper
• Colander
• Clean tea towel
• Mixing bowl
• Fine grater

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (fan). Drain the chickpeas in the colander and rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove the liquid from the tin, which would stop them from browning.
2. Spread the chickpeas out on the clean tea towel, fold one side over them and rub gently: they need to be completely dry, and any thin skins that come off should be discarded. Any moisture would make them steam.
3. Arrange the chickpeas in a single layer on the baking tray lined with baking paper, with no oil for now. Bake for 15 minutes: this first dry roasting finishes drying out their surface.
4. Meanwhile, mix the smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt in the bowl. Finely grate the lime zest, avoiding the bitter white pith, and set it aside separately.
5. Take out the tray, tip the hot chickpeas into the bowl with the olive oil and mix until they are all well coated in oil and spices. Put them straight back on the tray, still in a single layer.
6. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through, until they are nicely golden and sound hollow when rolled. Keep an eye on them for the last 5 minutes: spices burn quickly.
7. Sprinkle with the lime zest as soon as they come out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes on the tray: the chickpeas finish crisping up as they cool. Taste and add more salt if needed.