If you haven't yet discovered Chef Priyanka's recipes yet, I strongly recommend you follow her social media accounts immediately. But, in the meantime, you should check out her Masala Chickpea Bruschetta, a flavorful and protein-rich take on traditional bruschetta.
The strong Indian spices of the chickpeas are perfectly balanced by the cool crema sauce. Instead of toasting the bread, I sprayed each thick-cut slice of freshly baked country bread with olive oil and threw them on the grill for a couple of minutes to get a nice char without making the bread so crispy you can't bite into it.
I paired this dish with an easy curry roasted cauliflower that complemented the flavors of the bruschetta perfectly and made for a full, balanced meal. This bruschetta could also be pared down to smaller slices of bread for an appetizer or side dish sized bite as a precursor to a smoky lentil soup or hot plate of curry over rice. I opted to make the bruschetta the main event, and used the cauliflower as a side.
Here's the recipe (from Chef Priyanka).
Masala Chickpea Bruschetta
Chickpea Bruschetta Ingredients
1 15.5oz can low-sodium chickpeas – drained and rinsed thoroughly
1 small white onion –
minced
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 inch piece of fresh
ginger – minced
1 serrano chili – minced
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh cilantro – minced
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black
pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Italian or French
baguette – sliced in 1/4 inch thick slices on diagonal
Crema Ingredients
1 cup non-dairy coconut
yogurt
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin powder
freshly ground black
pepper
Method
Whisk together all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a small bowl until smooth and taste. Add more salt if necessary. It should be a balance of sweet and tart. Wrap bowl with saran wrap (or a lid) and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Place a medium non-stick pan over medium-high flame. Pour in oil and once hot, add in the fennel, coriander, onion, chili, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes until onions start sweating and become translucent. Add in the turmeric and garam masala. Mix together until all the onion mixture is evenly coated. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Add in the rinsed chickpeas and saut̩ for about 5 minutes until chickpeas begin to soften. Add in salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Continue cooking. Once chickpeas are soft, but still have a bit of a bite, reduce heat to low and using a potato masher, mash about 1/4 of the mixture. The mixture should be textured but still have some whole pieces of chickpea. Taste for salt Рit might need more! At this point, turn off the heat and add in the chopped fresh cilantro. Set aside to cool.
Spray or brush the sliced bread with olive oil or cooking spray and grill for a minute or two on each side to char with black stripes watching carefully to ensure you don’t burn the bread or make it too crispy. Remove.
Dollop on about 1/2-1 tbsp of crema on each slice of toasted baguette. Top each with a generous heaping of Masala Chickpea Mixture. Place on a serving dish and top with more fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
