Turmeric-Lemon Ghondi

This dish is extremely comforting. It’s one of those that pleases every member of my family. We all adore these Persian inspired chickpea-chicken dumplings, even though we don’t have any Persian background. It’s even gluten free! Just as with matzoh balls, it’s all about preference, I like “sinkers,” and these ghondi are on the denser side. Please see variation in case you’d like them lighter. 

I serve them over cauliflower “couscous” which I make by grinding raw cauliflower in a food processor until it’s chopped into couscous size pieces. I then sauté the cauliflower in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper until slightly softened and cooked. They are also delicious on a bed of rice or eaten as soup. 

Turmeric-Lemon Ghondi

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

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Servings

6 Servings

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea garbanzo flour
• Zest of 1 lemon save lemon for broth
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 inch peeled fresh turmeric peeled and grated in the microplane or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey breast
• 1/4 cup olive avocado or coconut oil
• 4 cups chicken/turkey broth or water
• 1 inch peeled fresh turmeric peeled and grated in the microplane or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or as needed if broth is salted
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 10 oz package  frozen peas
• Juice of 1 lemon or more to taste
• 4 cloves of black garlic peeled and very thinly sliced

Instructions

• Start cooking the broth: In a large pot, place the broth or water, salt (optional), and the turmeric and bring to a simmer. 
• Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, lemon zest, salt, cumin, cardamom and turmeric until evenly distributed. Add the ground meat and oil into the chickpea flour mixture. Mix well with your hands or a spatula.
•  Wet your hands in water and form balls of the desired size (although keep them all uniform in size) and place them in the simmering broth.
•  Cook dumplings until they start floating on the surface of the broth. Time will vary depending on their size, but it would be about 30 minutes.
•  Right before serving, add cooked chickpeas, frozen peas, and lemon juice into broth, taste for seasoning and adjust salt and lemon, if needed. Serve right away.
•  Top each serving with a few slices of black garlic. Enjoy!
• Variations:
• If you like lighter dumplings, substitute the oil for 4 large egg whites beaten to soft peaks. Fold them gently into the meat mixture and form the balls 
• Add frozen artichoke bottoms instad of along the peas