Leblebi

Method

1. Put 100 g dried chickpeas in a bowl with 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda and cover with cold water by at least 5 cm. Leave to soak overnight, 12 hours; they will roughly double and the skins will loosen.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well under running water to wash off the bicarbonate. Put them in a small saucepan, cover generously with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Skim the foam, lower to a bare simmer and cook uncovered for 45 minutes, until a chickpea crushes easily between finger and thumb but the shape is still intact. Do not salt the water and do not let them collapse.
3. Drain in a colander and tip onto a clean tea towel in a single layer. Roll them gently under a second towel: the skins will slip off and the surfaces will dry. Pick out the loose skins and any split chickpeas, then leave the rest spread out at room temperature for 1 hour until the outsides feel completely dry and matte — surface moisture is what stops them crisping.