Do I need to cook the chickpeas before making revithokeftedes Sifnou?

Do not cook the chickpeas for revithokeftedes Sifnou. Soak 300g dried chickpeas in plenty of cold water for 12 to 18 hours, then drain them very well. Raw soaked chickpeas grind into rough crumbs that fry crisp outside and tender inside.

Can I use canned chickpeas for Greek chickpea fritters?

Do not use canned chickpeas for these Greek chickpea fritters. Canned chickpeas are already cooked and too soft, so they grind into paste instead of coarse crumbs. Revithokeftedes Sifnou need soaked dried chickpeas for craggy edges, a tender center, and a lighter fried texture.

How coarse should the chickpea mixture be for revithokeftedes?

Pulse the revithokeftedes mixture until it looks like coarse wet sand with a few visible chickpea crumbs. Stop before it turns smooth. The uneven raw soaked chickpea pieces create craggy edges in the olive oil and keep the fritters from frying heavy.

Why are my revithokeftedes falling apart in the pan?

Revithokeftedes fall apart when the chickpeas are under-soaked, the mixture is too wet, or the flour has not hydrated. Stir in 40g plain flour, test a pressed spoonful in your palm, then add 1 tablespoon more flour if needed. Rest the mixture for 15 minutes before shaping.

How long do I fry revithokeftedes?

Fry revithokeftedes in hot olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side. The oil is ready when a crumb of mixture sizzles at once. Cook in batches until the chickpea fritters are deep golden brown and firm enough to lift cleanly.

Can I make revithokeftedes ahead of time?

You can make the revithokeftedes mixture up to 12 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator before frying. Fried revithokeftedes hold at room temperature for a few hours, but the first hour gives the crispest ridges and best contrast with the soft center.

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Revithokeftedes Sifnou (Ρεβιθοκεφτέδες Σίφνου)

Name: Revithokeftedes Sifnou (Ρεβιθοκεφτέδες Σίφνου)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 24 small fritters, serving 6 as a meze
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 300g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water; 1 small yellow onion, about 120g, roughly chopped; 2 spring onions, roughly chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 25g flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped; 12g fresh mint leaves, chopped; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 40g plain flour, plus 1-2 tablespoons more only if needed; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 300ml extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, for frying; lemon wedges, for serving

Created by

Sifnos makes its chickpea fritters from soaked raw chickpeas, onion, herbs, and cumin, fried in olive oil until the edges turn rough, golden, and crisp.

Appetizers & Snacks

Greek

Budget Friendly

Comfort Food

Easter

25 min

Active Time

20 min cook•45 min total

Yield24 small fritters, serving 6 as a meze

Revithokeftedes Sifnou are the chickpea fritters of Sifnos, and the island tells you their name before you taste them. The region is the dish's surname. These are not smooth bean patties, and they are not made from boiled chickpeas. They are rough, fragrant little fritters, green with herbs, warm with cumin, and crisp where the broken chickpea catches in the oil.

The whole dish rests on one decision: soak the chickpeas, then grind them raw. That gives you little grains that fry into a tender center with a crisp, craggy shell. Boil them first and you lose the dish. You get paste, heavy and dull, and no amount of parsley will rescue it.

On Sifnos, chickpeas are not a side note. They are Sunday revithada baked slowly in a clay pot, they are Lenten food, they are meze with a glass in the late afternoon. This version belongs beautifully to the fasting table, nistisimo without apology, because Greek Lent never treated vegetables and pulses as second best.

I keep the seasoning plain: onion, mint, parsley, cumin, oregano, good olive oil, and patience. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones. Shape them small, fry them without crowding, and eat them while the edges still talk under your teeth.

Sifnos is one of the Cycladic islands most closely identified with chickpeas, especially the Sunday revithada traditionally baked overnight in a clay skepastaria. Revithokeftedes developed from the same island pantry and fit the Orthodox fasting calendar, when pulses, herbs, and olive oil carried the table. The Sifnian version is marked by soaked raw chickpeas ground with onion and herbs, a texture that separates it from softer fritters made elsewhere from cooked legumes.

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Ingredients

dried chickpeas (revithia)

Quantity

300g

soaked overnight in plenty of cold water

yellow onion

Quantity

1 small, about 120g

roughly chopped

spring onions

Quantity

roughly chopped

garlic cloves

Quantity

chopped

flat-leaf parsley

Quantity

25g

leaves and tender stems, chopped

fresh mint leaves

Quantity

12g

chopped

ground cumin

Quantity

1 teaspoon

dried oregano

Quantity

1/2 teaspoon

fine sea salt

Quantity

1 teaspoon

freshly ground black pepper

Quantity

1/2 teaspoon

plain flour

Quantity

40g

plus 1-2 tablespoons more only if needed

lemon juice

Quantity

1 tablespoon

extra virgin olive oil or olive oil

Quantity

300ml

for frying

lemon wedges (optional)

Quantity

as needed

for serving

Ingredient	Quantity
dried chickpeas (revithia)soaked overnight in plenty of cold water	300g
yellow onionroughly chopped	1 small, about 120g
spring onionsroughly chopped	2
garlic cloveschopped	2
flat-leaf parsleyleaves and tender stems, chopped	25g
fresh mint leaveschopped	12g
ground cumin	1 teaspoon
dried oregano	1/2 teaspoon
fine sea salt	1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper	1/2 teaspoon
plain flourplus 1-2 tablespoons more only if needed	40g
lemon juice	1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil or olive oilfor frying	300ml
lemon wedges (optional)for serving	as needed

Equipment Needed

•food processor with a sharp blade
•wide heavy frying pan, 28cm
•wire draining rack

Instructions

1
Soak the Chickpeas
Put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with at least three times their volume of cold water. Leave them 12 to 18 hours, until swollen and no longer hard at the center. Drain them very well. Do not boil them. This is the method that decides revithokeftedes Sifnou: raw soaked chickpeas grind into small, rough pieces that fry crisp outside and tender inside. Cooked chickpeas turn the mixture into paste.
2
Grind the Mixture
Put the drained chickpeas, yellow onion, spring onions, garlic, parsley, mint, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the bowl, until the mixture looks like coarse wet sand with a few chickpea crumbs still visible. Don't make it smooth. The little uneven pieces are what give the fritters their craggy edges.
3
Bind and Rest
Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in 40g flour. Press a spoonful in your palm. It should hold together without feeling doughy. If it falls apart, add 1 tablespoon more flour, wait a minute, and test again. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes so the flour can take up the onion juices.
4
Shape the Fritters
With wet hands, shape the mixture into small flattened patties, about 35g each and no thicker than 1.5cm. Keep them a little rough. Neat, smooth balls are not the point here. Sifnos wants edges that catch in the oil.
5
Fry Until Crisp
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat until a crumb of mixture sizzles at once. Fry the fritters in batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and firm enough to lift cleanly. Don't crowd the pan, or the oil cools and the fritters drink it.
6
Drain and Serve
Lift the revithokeftedes onto a rack or paper towel and salt them lightly while hot. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges. They should be crisp at the ridges, soft but not pasty inside, with cumin and mint coming through before the chickpea sweetness.

Chef Tips

•Use small dried chickpeas if you can find them, and soak them fully. Canned chickpeas are fine for a quick salad, not here. They have already crossed the line into softness.
•Stop the processor before the mixture turns smooth. You want crumbs, not hummus. If the mix looks like paste, the fritters will fry heavy.
•Serve revithokeftedes with lemon, olives, sliced tomato in season, or a spoon of thick yogurt if it isn't a fasting meal. For Lent, keep them with lemon and a plate of horta. Nothing is missing.

Advance Preparation

•Soak the chickpeas 12 to 18 hours ahead; the dish depends on it.
•The ground mixture can rest covered in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before frying.
•Fried revithokeftedes hold at room temperature for a few hours, but the first hour is best for crisp edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 140g)

Calories

320 calories

Total Fat

13 g

Saturated Fat

2 g

Trans Fat

0 g

Unsaturated Fat

11 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

Sodium

400 mg

Total Carbohydrates

40 g

Dietary Fiber

7 g

Sugars

6 g

Protein

12 g

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Culinary Explorer

Revithokeftedes Sifnou (Ρεβιθοκεφτέδες Σίφνου)

The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.

Ingredients

dried chickpeas (revithia)

yellow onion

spring onions

garlic cloves

flat-leaf parsley

fresh mint leaves

ground cumin

dried oregano

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

plain flour

lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil or olive oil

lemon wedges (optional)

Equipment Needed

Instructions

Soak the Chickpeas

Grind the Mixture

Bind and Rest

Shape the Fritters

Fry Until Crisp

Drain and Serve

Chef Tips

Advance Preparation

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

Where cooking meets culture.

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