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Chichi frégi
Chickpea flour fritters in sugar
Chichi frégi: Marseille chickpea-flour fritters rolled in sugar, from L'Estaque
On the seafront at L'Estaque, the old fishing quarter of Marseille, and at summer fêtes all along the coast, kiosks fry chichi frégi: long, ridged fritters of wheat and chickpea flour, rolled hot in sugar and eaten in a paper cone. The dough is a yeasted, egg-free batter piped straight into the oil, crisp outside and soft inside, with a faint nutty taste from the chickpea flour and a hint of orange flower. Chef's tip: keep the oil at 175 °C; cooler and the fritters soak up fat, hotter and they burn before the middle cooks.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz chickpea flour (gram flour)
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp orange-flower water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil for frying
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar for coating
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk the 9 oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz chickpea flour (gram flour), ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 tbsp caster sugar and ½ tsp salt. Add the 1 ½ cups warm water, 1 tbsp orange-flower water and 2 tbsp olive oil and beat for 3 minutes into a thick, sticky dough, like soft choux.
5 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until bubbly and nearly doubled.
60 minStep 3: Heat the 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil for frying in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F. Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.
5 minStep 4: Pipe 20 cm lengths straight into the oil, snipping with oiled scissors, 3 or 4 at a time. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden brown all over and hollow-sounding. A common mistake is crowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and makes greasy fritters.
20 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper for a few seconds, then roll in the 3 ½ oz caster sugar for coating while hot. Eat warm.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chichi frégi take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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