Chickpea, Quinoa and Mushroom Croquettes

I'm always on the lookout for nutty flavour and crunchy texture and this recipe for Chickpea, Quinoa and Mushroom Croquettes from Pig in the Kitchen turned out to be as satisfying as it sounded and looked. Composed of a grain, legume and vegetables, theses croquettes are a meal onto themselves. Consider serving them with a chutney or tomato based sauce or as a vegetarian burger. I served them alongside Butter Paneer Masala.

I happened across Pig's blog shortly after starting Lisa's Kitchen via a google search for I can't remember what, but I've become a regular reader ever since. Her writing is inspired and witty, and her pictures are sure to stimulate your appetite even if you aren't hungry. Featured are tasty and healthy recipes that are dairy, egg and soya-free, including many gluten-free choices, so if you suffer from food allergies, be sure to stop by Pig in the Kitchen. Thankfully, I don't suffer from food allergies and among the modifications I have made are using eggs instead of egg substitute.

Chickpea, quinoa and mushroom croquettes

Croquettes:

2/3 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup quinoa
pinch of saffron threads, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 white mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 large jalapeño, chopped
3 medium carrots, grated
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 tablespoons rice flour

Coating:

2/3 cup quinoa
6 dried red chillies
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 eggs, well beaten

Scrub and rinse the quinoa for the croquettes under cold running water in a strainer. Cover with water in a bowl and soak overnight. At the same time, soak the chickpeas in water overnight in a saucepan with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice.

Bring the chickpeas to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are soft. Drain and put into a large bowl. Mash thoroughly with a potato masher until they become a dry paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile, drain the quinoa. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. When hot, add the crushed saffron threads and quinoa, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the quinoa well, pressing with a spoon to remove as much water as possible, and add to the chickpeas.

While the quinoa is cooking, put the olive oil, mushrooms, garlic, parsley and jalapeño into a blender or food processor and process until blended.

Add the mushroom paste to the chickpeas and quinoa in the large mixing bowl and stir in the carrots, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander and salt. Stir in the rice flour one tablespoon at a time. Form into burger-sized patties with your hands.

Prepare the coating by briefly grinding the dry quinoa with the red chillies, salt and pepper in a food processor or mortar and pestle to make a coarse powder with many of the quinoa grains left unpulverized. Pour into a bowl for turning the croquettes. Dip each croquette into a bowl containing the beaten eggs, shake off the excess, and transfer to the quinoa coating bowl. Pick up gently, shake off the excess coating, and transfer to a plate.

Heat a quarter-inch of olive oil in a frying pan over slightly less than medium heat and pre-heat the oven to 175°. When hot, add as many croquettes as will fit in the pan, cover, and fry for 5 minutes or until the bottom side is browned. Flip over and cover again, frying for a few more minutes until the other side is browned. Remove and drain on paper towel. Keep warm on an oven-safe plate in the preheated oven until all the croquettes are cooked.

Repeat the frying process, adding more olive oil if necessary, until all the croquettes are fried. Serve hot, or re-heat on a grill or covered with foil wrap in a warm oven. Makes about 12 burger-sized croquettes.