Ottolenghi's confit chickpeas - anybody made it?

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https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/confit-tandoori-chickpeas

Looks lovely. I am planning to make it for a party, so scaled up, as part of a buffet. I was thinking of using several different types of beans instead of just chickpeas, and, to keep costs down and for quickness, tinned tomatoes. What I wondered was if it really needs all the garlic, as that looks like a huge amount (and I am a garlic lover). Thoughts? TIA.

@MargotMoon for the confit effect, you would need to use cooked chickpeas. There isn't enough liquid to rehydrate the partially dehydrated and if you added more liquid the confit loveliness would not work.

Reporting back. I used jarred chickpeas and fresh cherry tomatoes this time, and didn't crush the coriander and cumin seeds but left them whole. I also used a little less oil.

OMG, it was even more delicious than previously.

So delicious for so little effort. It's a star dish.

Can this be made in advance and reheated? Thinking of it for Thurs eve but my available time for cooking it is tonight or tomorrow morning.

Yes it can - my sister and I had a portion each on the day of cooking, and I had the remainder a day or so later.

Brilliant thanks

as an alternative to cooking in advance and reheating, if it's just the hands on time that is a problem, you can prep it all, pop into the fridge overnight, then into the oven. Though if you will be getting home 30 minutes before you want to serve then that is no good!

I make mine in the instant pot, so it’s great in this weather as it doesn’t heat the kitchen. So efficient, too.

However, mine has to be calorie conscious so I don’t use any oil at all. Mine is no longer following the recipe, just an ‘inspired by’ approximation.

It’s still blooming lovely though. We’ll have it tonight with salad, naan bread and some left over cold chicken rice.

Did you add water instead of oil? And did you use the instant pot pressure cooker setting or use it as a slow cooker? I love it but everyone complains it’s too oily and I don’t love having the oven on all day in summer!

The whole point of the recipe is the oil, though. And although you can cut it down a bit, if you make it without oil, it's a completely different dish.

I cook the unsoaked chickpeas first, 40 mins pressure.
Then drain most of the liquid and add a couple of tins of tomatoes. Curry paste/powder of some kind, ginger, garlic, cumin, chilli, coriander seeds… pressure cook for 0mins and leave on keep warm. I check the seasoning and do whatever to make it nice.

I follow his recipe bar the oil as far as I can, but don’t always have the right combination of chillis as it’s a store cupboard staple for me.

I try and get the sweet heat from peppadew chilli’s and to use smoked chilli, but sometimes just use plain chilli and smoked paprika.

So it’s not a proper confit but it’s still a great dish.

it's not a confit at all, as far as I know confit is a cooking method which is to cook submerged in fat at a low temperature?

even so seems a shame not to have any fat whatsoever, most spices are fat soluble so they really come alive and are more vibrant and complex after being bloomed in oil.

And I am sure that’s delicious. Unfortunately I can’t eat that so make do with the peasant version I described above- which is still delicious.

Bumping this thread as I made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious. Loads left for lunches as well.
It's now shortlisted for when we have friends round for dinner, maybe alongside something meaty. Ottolenghi's lamb and feta meatballs perhaps?

@MyRabbit79 my friends and I had an Ottolenghi supper club, someone else made the chickpeas, I made the pulled pork vindaloo which was lovely and they worked well in the same spread. But I've never made the meatballs and they sound fabulous too

@SummaLuvin that pork looks amazing! I am adding it to my list of things to try.