Ingredients

Method

For the dumplings:
• 500 g Woolworths chicken mince
• 3 onions, peeled and processed or grated
• 100 g chickpea flour
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1 t salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 litres weak chicken stock about, for simmering
• 125 g chickpea pasta (optional)
• wild rocket, for serving
For the baked chickpeas:
• 2 x 400 g cans chickpeas
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 200 g baby leeks, thinly sliced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t ground coriander
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. With wet hands, mix the dumpling ingredients, except the stock, pasta and rocket, to form a soft dough. Shape into rough balls of about 60 g each, it should make 18–20 balls. Chill for at least an hour.

2. With wet hands, reshape the dumplings into balls and simmer, submerged in the stock, tightly covered, for 50 minutes, or until plump and cooked. Remove using a slotted spoon and use the stock for cooking the pasta according to package instructions (if using). Remove the pasta using a slotted spoon and mix with the baked chickpeas. Spoon the remaining liquid over the dumplings.

3. To make the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 160°C. Drain the chickpeas. Pour the olive oil into a suitably sized baking dish.

4. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes, turning around halfway, until the leeks are very soft. Check the seasoning.

5. Top servings of chickpeas and pasta with the dumplings and garnish.

Cook's note: This recipe is derived from the delicious spiced Persian gnudi in my much-loved, much-used Honey & Co. Cookbook by Sarit Packer and Itamar Strulovich (Salt-Yard Book Co.). Leftover chickpeas, pasta and rocket dressed with olive oil and lemon juice make a tasty, substantial salad.

Find more mince recipe here. 

Photographs: Toby Murphy
Production: Brita Du Plessis
Food Assistant: Kate Ferreira