What to use instead of dried chickpeas
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Soaked raw chickpeas ground into a paste that fries
The starch and protein are still raw, so when the ground paste hits hot oil they set and bind at once. That is the only thing holding a falafel together.
Dried split fava beans, soaked overnightRan out
1:1 by dry weight, soaked 12 to 18 h
The Egyptian version. Paler, softer inside and greener tasting, and it binds slightly better than chickpea alone.
Half chickpea, half split favaRan out
1:1 by dry weight between the two, soaked together
Fluffier interior than pure chickpea with a firmer crust. The most forgiving mix for shaping.
Dried yellow split peas, soaked 8 hRan out
1:1 by dry weight, plus 1 tbsp chickpea flour per cup
Sweeter and denser, and it wants the extra flour or the balls crack open in the oil. Deeper yellow inside.
What doesn't work: Canned chickpeas. They are fully cooked, so the starch has already gelatinised and there is nothing left to bind when it hits the oil. The mixture disintegrates the moment it goes in, and adding flour until it holds gives you a chickpea dumpling rather than a falafel.
Beans simmered into a curry or stew that hold their shape
A thick skin and a dense interior mean they can take an hour in an acidic tomato gravy and still be a whole chickpea at the end.
Canned chickpeasRan out
1 15 oz can, drained, per 3/4 cup dried, stirred in for the last 10 min
Softer and already salted, and they will not absorb the gravy the way beans cooked in it do. The dish tastes layered rather than blended.
Kala chana, black chickpeasRan out
1:1 by dry weight, 30 min more cooking
Firmer, nuttier and much darker, so the gravy goes brown. They stay intact even after a long simmer.
Dried white beansRan out
1:1 by dry weight, 20 min less
Creamier and thinner-skinned, so more of them break down and the gravy thickens on its own. Milder.
What doesn't work: Red lentils. They cook in fifteen minutes and dissolve completely, so a chana masala made with them is a dal. There is no bean left to bite and the whole texture of the dish is gone.
Blitzed into a smooth dip
The skins are what make hummus grainy, so the bean has to be cooked past soft, to the point where the skins slip and the interior purees to a cream.
Canned chickpeas simmered with baking sodaRan out
1 15 oz can drained, simmered 20 min in fresh water with 1/2 tsp baking soda, then drained
The alkali breaks the skins down and this is what gets canned chickpeas to blend silky. They also go slightly softer in flavour.
Cannellini or other white beansRan out
1:1 by cooked volume
Blends smoother with no work at all. Milder and less nutty, so the tahini and garlic come forward.
Shelled edamameRan out
1:1 by cooked volume, plus 2 tbsp extra water
Bright green and sweeter, with a slightly grassy finish. It is stiffer, hence the extra water.
What doesn't work: Canned chickpeas blitzed straight from the tin. The skins do not break down at that texture, so the hummus stays grainy no matter how long the processor runs, and adding more tahini only makes it a greasier grainy hummus.
Add 1/2 tsp baking soda per cup to the soaking water and the same to the cooking water. Chickpeas cook roughly a third faster and the skins come apart on their own.