When I made these the other night (yes, the night of that other kitchen disaster) I was, at first, quite hopeful. Sure, we had to open the door to the patio because the fumes from the oil-fried chilies were so strong that Ben and I both started coughing before we even sat down to eat, but I figured that was just an occupational hazard of cooking with heat.
Oh, how wrong was I.
These were, in a word, inedible. Ben, because he is a kind and trusting soul, took a spoonful or two on his plate. He ate a forkful and then chewed some rice and stopped. And looked at me pleadingly. And then very carefully picked every single chickpea off his rice-strewn plate, and threw them in the trash.
I had forced myself to chew and swallow the serving on my plate, even though I couldn't taste the chickpeas, or any of the subtle nuances that Marlena Spieler described. All I could taste was coarse, hideous, headache-inducing pain. So when I saw Ben's reaction, I realized life really was too short. And we threw the rest away.
The kicker? I didn't use Thai chilies (as recommended in the recipe). I used those tiny, dried Italian peperoncini that, as far as chilies go, are meant to be on the mild side. At least compared with their Southeast Asian brethren.
If you have a hankering for hotness, but actually want to taste the food you're eating, I'd suggest making these with three chiles, not twenty. Go from there, experiment, and by all means add more, if you fancy. But start out cautiously. I wish I had.
Chickpeas with Chilies
Serves 4
2 tablespoons oil
20 Thai chilies or other small hot chilies, dried or fresh
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1. Heat oil in a pan or wok over medium high heat until just smoking. Add chilies and stir-fry for a minute or two or until they start to brown and puff. Do not let them burn>
2. Immediately add the chickpeas and cook until they heat through, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put in bowl, pick out chilies and discard them, and sprinkle with cumin.
I believe you when you say it was hot! I use TWO small dried peperoncino from Calabria and that's hot enough! I can't believe that it isn't a misprint, it must be! Poor you, it must have been a terrible shock!
Posted by: ilva | October 01, 2006 at 06:10 AM
20 chiles to 1 1/2 cup of chickpeas? Clearly that's a misprint. That would probably knock out even the strongest chile head!
This is one of the things I love about your blog--you make the recipes as they're published and suss out the errors. Someone should pay you for these tests! The Times can be one of the worst offenders. Let's hope things get cleaner with Pete Wells at the helm.
Posted by: Lisa (Homesick Texan) | October 01, 2006 at 11:05 AM
Some authors, editors and publishers are just lazy and sloppy with recipes. James Beard was know to insist on proofreading the galleys for his cookbooks each time there was a correction, and then going over them again. Once more, his was the standard that all should measure themselves against.
Posted by: Sommelier | October 02, 2006 at 01:00 PM
You are a martyr to the cause of accurate recipe writing and testing, and we owe you a debt, for standing in for us, and suffering! Ow.
I think we should also all be praising the recipe sources which prove truly reliable. It takes a bit of time with a cookbook to be sure it really is reliable. There are are plenty of cookbooks with good, even inspirational recipes and ideas which don't consistently stand up. One I've found, where all the recipes work the way they are supposed to work, is the yellow, Ruth Reichl edited Gourmet Cookbook. The staff must have tested those recipes til kingdom come, and deserve recognition for it. I have a candidate for chronic undertesting, too....
I'll bet you can guess the author I have in mind on thast one...
Posted by: lindy | October 02, 2006 at 02:12 PM
The idea of 20 chiles in any dish that's sized to serve 4 sounds like complete insanity.
Posted by: Julie | October 03, 2006 at 05:03 PM
I commend you for attempting the recipe as written. I love chiles and all things hot but I can't believe the recipe actually calls for 20 chiles. Sounds more like chickpea flavored chiles. Using pepperocini as a substitute changes the dish entirely due the vinegar. I make spicy chickpeas with garlic sambal olek, scallions and cilantro. It's great with just a bowl of rice.
Posted by: PepperFool | October 23, 2006 at 06:18 PM
get some chana masala if you like chickpeas, fry up plent of onions till they go brown and sugary, add chickpeas and water and cook till theres a sauce .. its damn tasty.. you can buy masala from tescos or google it for a supllier
Posted by: totedude | October 30, 2006 at 06:37 PM
I followed the recipe exactly, and it worked for me. I used small dried Thai chilies. The first time, I made with 10 chlies, and the second time with 20. Thai chilies are small.
Posted by: Janet | November 15, 2006 at 06:35 PM
Marlena is not a lazy author...that is for sure. It wouldn't be the first time her recipes were misprinted..I promise you that!
Posted by: Melly | October 29, 2009 at 06:21 PM