Gluten Free Wednesday: GF Split Pea Chips

Happy Gluten Free Wednesday!

I had such high hopes and expectations for this recipe!  I was given a sample a couple months ago of a gluten free split pea chip.  It was seriously insanely delicious!  I couldn't imagine how something like that could even be made, so like a geek, I wrote down all of the ingredients, hoping one day to make it.  Fast forward a couple of months later, when I was going through my computer desk, sifting through the volume of recipe scribbles I had on so many pieces of paper.  I was sorting them into piles of things I would realistically do, and getting rid of the things I most likely wouldn't do, when I came across the list of ingredients and my thoughts on how the gf split pea chips were made.  My coworkers at the time suggested that according to the ingredients, the company must have cooked the split peas, pureed them, seasoned them with spices, added a gf flour to create a dough, rolled it out and fried the resulting pieces. 

Easy, I thought.  Until I got started!  I did everything I assumed was done, cooking the peas, seasoning them, adding the flour and seasoning again.  Everything seemed ok until I started to roll out the dough.  I know all about xanthan gum, and was thinking I should have put some in there, even though the ingredients did not specify it, but lately I have been trying to abide by the idea that you should make a recipe exactly as it is stated the first time, then make any changes you want the second time around, once you know how it behaves, so I did just that.  I should have listened to what I was thinking!  The dough was impossible to roll out, or maybe not so impossible to roll out, once I added a bunch more flour to the ingredients to it (thereby changing the flavor I had created initially!), but when I sliced the rolled out dough into pieces and tried to lift the pieces is when it all fell apart ... literally.   I tried to fry them anyway, but they exploded into tiny bits as soon as I submersed them into the hot oil.  Damn!  I was so excited!  They were tasty, but not too pretty, and kinda funky if I must admit.  I think it was a really good idea and a good base, but next time I will listen to myself and add a little xanthan gum, - I'm sure it will work out much better.  I will definitely try this again when I have a little extra time!  Try this if you would like, but make a couple changes, and if you do, let me know how it turns out.


Gluten Free Split Pea Chips:

Very Messy, But Very Tasty!



1/2" no-taste oil to fry, such as canola

1 cup split peas, soaked for several hours (I used green), then cooked until soft
1/2  cup water
2 teaspoons vegetable boullion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/2 cup sorghum flour, mixed with 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (I added the xanthan gum part for next time, but I have not tried it yet.)

1.  Place the cooked split peas in the bowl of a  food processor.  Add the water and all of the spices.  Just do not add the flour and xanthan gum.
2.  Process the mixture until completely smooth. 
3.  Remove the mixture from the processor and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the flour and xanthan mixture and stir until a thick dough has formed.  It should not be sticky.  If it is, add a little more flour until it is no longer sticky.
4.  Sprinkle a good amount of sorghum flour on your work surface and turn half of the dough onto the flour.  Sprinkle with additional flour.  Press the dough down with your hands until a disk has formed. 
5.  Get your oil ready - the rest of the recipe will come together very quickly.  Place the oil in a medium sized pot and place over medium-high heat.  Allow the oil to become hot.  It is hot when a drop of the batter immediately sizzles and comes back  to the surface. 
6.  Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to desired thickness.  Cut into desired shapes using a paring knife.  Use the paring knife to carefully remove the chips from the counter and place them into the oil.  Do not place too many in the oil at the same time, or they will bump into each other and break up, like mine did.
7.  Cook for a couple minutes until golden.  Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon onto paper towel lined plates and immediately sprinkle with sea salt.  Continue cooking the remaining chips. 
8.  If the chips appear to be breaking and you did not add too many to the pot, your oil may also be too hot. 
-Enjoy!

-K