CALORIE DENSITY: 24% = 772kcal/(810ml x 4)
- Chickpeas Dried (Ceci) 100g->220g: 266kcal (400ml) Asda Good & Balance Chick Peas 500g for £1.15 = 23p
- Mushy Peas (Piselli) 300g: 276kcal (250ml) Mushy Peas (Piselli) 300g: 276kcal (250ml) Asda SP Mushy Peas 300g tin 16p
- Tuna Chunks (Pesce) 112g: 130kcal (130ml) Tuna Chunks (Pesce) 112g: 130kcal (130ml) Asda SP Tuna Chunks in Brine 160g tin 54p
- Potato powder 60ml (30g): 100kcal (30ml) Asda SP Instant Mashed Potato 120g packet 28p = 7p
- Soak 100g dried Chickpeas overnight & boil for 90 minutes to make 220g cooked. This may be achieved in the microwave by setting it for 10 mins at 800 watts followed by 80 minutes at 180 watts. Most microwaves can do this by a single program these days if you know how to do it!
- Place the Mushy Peas in a large plastic container
- Drain the tuna and add to the peas
- Add a teaspoon of Hot Chilli powder, sprinkle on Turmeric and add salt to taste
- Mix well with a plastic spoon to avoid scratching the plastic container
- Heat for 6 minutes in the microwave at 800W
- Add some potato powder if the mixture is not solid enough and mix well as solid food is more satisfying. If you drained the tuna well this should not be necessary.
- Heat the Chickpeas in the microwave for 2 minutes at 800W and sprinkle with salt to taste
Serve the peas & tuna on a large plate and then add the chick peas as you wish – just round the edge or all over. This picture shows an alternative way of presenting the meal if you would prefer it looked a little less like a brown cow-pat! A sauce containing the chilli flavour can be added to the meal thus avoiding colouring all the food brown: 125ml water, 1 teaspoon of hot chilli powder, a sprinkle of Turmeric, salt to taste, 2 teaspoons potato powder – heated for 2 minutes in the microwave at 800W.
Although I have used Tuna Flakes here you can use any fish which is why I have called it Chilli con Pesce – like Chile con Carne but with fish instead of meat!
This makes one meals for a man like me (large frame and vigorously active) or two meals for a lady. I don’t mention the calories for each meal because when you indulge in eating natural low density food which has a density of less than 25% you just eat as much as your appetite dictates and then stop eating. This meal tastes equally delicious with any of the pulses although I have to say that chickpeas are my favourite! The pulses I regularly use are: chickpeas, butter beans, cannellini beans, borlotti beans, haricot beans, pinto beans, black-eyed beans, black beans and kidney beans. You could add some green vegetables if you like but I just take multi-vitamins because they’re more effective and a lot cheaper.