Crispy Chili Lime Chickpea Taco Cups

Ingredients

• 8 small corn tortillas
• 2 x 400 g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing tortillas
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 lime, zested and juiced, plus extra wedges for serving
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more to finish
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh, grilled, or thawed from frozen
• 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 small jalapeno, finely chopped, optional
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta or cotija-style cheese
• Fine salt and black pepper
• Optional: shredded lettuce, pickled onions, hot sauce
• Dry chickpeas roast better. Damp chickpeas steam and stay soft.
• Warm tortillas before pressing so they fold into the muffin tin without cracking.
• Keep the avocado crema fairly thick; watery sauce softens the tortilla cups faster.
• Bake tortilla cups and roast chickpeas ahead, but store them separately at room temperature.
• Assemble just before serving for the best crunch.
• For a fuller meal, serve the same components over rice, lettuce, or warm tortillas.
• For extra heat, add hot sauce to the crema or use more jalapeno in the corn salsa.
• If the cups soften, refresh empty tortilla cups in a hot oven for 2 to 3 minutes.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C / 425F. Lightly brush both sides of the tortillas with oil. Warm them briefly so they flex, then press each tortilla into a muffin tin cup. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the cups hold their shape. Let them cool in the tin.
2. Pat the chickpeas very dry with a towel. Loose skins are fine to remove, but do not worry about every one. Toss chickpeas with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, lime zest, salt, and black pepper.
3. Spread chickpeas on a parchment-lined sheet pan in one layer. Roast for 18 to 24 minutes, shaking once, until deeply golden in spots. Let them rest on the hot tray for 3 minutes so the outsides firm up.
4. Blend or mash avocado with Greek yogurt, half the lime juice, cilantro, salt, and a small splash of water. Keep the crema thick enough to spoon, not runny. Taste and add more lime or salt.
5. Stir corn with red onion, jalapeno if using, remaining lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. If using frozen corn, pat it dry first so the salsa does not water down the cups.
6. Assemble close to serving: add a spoonful of chickpeas to each tortilla cup, drizzle with avocado crema, spoon over corn salsa, and finish with crumbled cheese, cilantro, and lime.

Tips

• Dry chickpeas roast better. Damp chickpeas steam and stay soft.
• Warm tortillas before pressing so they fold into the muffin tin without cracking.
• Keep the avocado crema fairly thick; watery sauce softens the tortilla cups faster.
• Bake tortilla cups and roast chickpeas ahead, but store them separately at room temperature.
• Assemble just before serving for the best crunch.