Ingredients
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 ½ cups finely chopped onion (1 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, or ¼ cup of each, chopped
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup neutral oil (rice bran, safflower, grapeseed or non-GMO canola are good choices)
8 soft hamburger buns or English muffins
Directions
Place the beans in a bowl and add enough water to cover by a few inches.
Soak for at least 6 hours at room temperature. (If your kitchen is very warm, you may want to place in the refrigerator to minimize chances of fermentation.)
Drain and set aside; you now have about 2 ½ cups of soaked chickpeas.
Using a food processor or heavy-duty blender, pulverize the chickpeas using the “pulse” function until the beans form a paste that sticks together when you squeeze it in your hand.
Be careful not to overprocess; too smooth, the batter will fall apart when cooking.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the oil) and combine, using the “pulse” function approximately twelve times.
Using a scant 1/3-cup measure, shape the batter into patties and place on a plate. (For sliders, use ¼ cup.)
Cover the patties with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a shallow 12-inch skillet, heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium-high heat.
Gently place the patties into the hot oil in small batches (don’t crowd the pan) and fry the first side until golden brown and slightly crusty, 2 to 3 minutes.
Gently turn onto the second side and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer to a baking tray to finish cooking in the oven until the patties slightly firm up and dry out, about 7 minutes.
To keep the patties warm without further cooking, reduce the oven temperature to 225 F.
Serve them on buns with the cocktail sauce or remoulade.
Makes 8 full-size patties or 10 sliders.
