Chickpea panis

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp plus 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp of water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Oil for frying
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to serve

Preparation:

1. Grease a baking tray or tin (or use baking paper) and set aside.
   
   Heat the water, oil, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture is hot but not boiling, add the chickpea flour and whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
   
   Replace the whisk with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Continue mixing for approximately 7-10 minutes, until the mixture becomes very thick (but not dry). The dough should form into a desired shape.
2. Transfer the dough from the pan to the prepared pan. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate for an hour or up to two days. Cover the dough with paper or plastic wrap to prevent drying.
   
   When the dough has chilled well, remove it from the pan and cut into pieces of the desired shape: rectangles, thin sticks, squares, or roll it into a roll and cut into discs.
3. Heat a thin layer of oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Carefully drop the batter in small batches and fry on each side until golden brown and crisp, about three minutes per side; pat dry with paper towels.
   
   Place the sticks on a plate and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Panis are best served warm with vegetable dipping sauce.
   
   The dough for the sticks can be made in advance, cut into pieces of any shape and frozen, then simply fried before serving..