I’ve mentioned before that it’s rare for me to fry food in my kitchen. Granted, frying things in your own kitchen is still far healthier then say, going out to eat fried food, but I’m always a little paranoid that I’ll be left with oil burns on my arms and a kitchen that smells like a fry house.

Every once in awhile I succumb to the fact that I have a husband who loves to eat and everything I put in front of him seems like the best thing he has ever eaten in his life. This never gets old, I love feeding him, but when I really want to impress him, it’s all about fried bean patties of any sorts. That and pizza. Even though these chickpea croquettes or patties are cooked in olive oil, I would hardly call them fried. It’s more like a deep saute, which creates a lovely crusty and browned outer layer that gives way to a flavorful interior.

It’s true that if you have never worked with bean patties before they can sometimes be quite difficult. They crumble and don’t stay in the shape of the patty you intended. With these, I thought I was going to have that same problem, but for merely tossing the ingredients together, no blending required, they managed to hold up pretty well. I think the key for these is keeping them on the smaller side and really getting the first side to brown up so everything stays together. If you have any tips on how you keep your bean burgers, patties, or croquettes together I’d love for you to share!

Chickpea Croquettes / serves 4

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup hot water
juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 jalapeño or red chile, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl stir together the flour, water, lemon juice, cumin, and salt until well combined. Stir in the chickpeas, onion, carrot, jalapeño, garlic, and cilantro until everything is well combined.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Form the mixture into patties about a 1/2-inch thick. The mixture will be pretty wet and feel like they won’t stay together, because of this I like to keep mine on the smaller size so they are easier to handle.

Carefully place the patties in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the bottom has begun to brown. Using a spatula, flip each patty over and cook for another 5 minutes or until that side begins to brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining mixture. Best served immediately.