Lightly oil the inside of an 8-or-9-inch square pan or baking dish or a couple of loaf pans (you want roughly the same surface area). Alternatively, you could line them with plastic wrap or parchment paper to ensure easy removal.

In a bowl, whisk or sift together the chickpea flour and the salt to remove any lumps.

In a large saucepan or medium pot, bring the water and olive oil to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Slowly add the chickpea flour and salt mixture while whisking vigorously to avoid creating lumps. This requires a lot of elbow grease! If you end up with lumps, briefly take the pot off the heat and use an immersion blender to smooth out the mixture.

Once all the chickpea flour is added, continue to whisk or stir with a wooden spoon or spatula over medium heat until the mixture thickens, pulls away from the sides of the pan and doesn’t stick to the bottom, about 10 to 15 minutes. It should be quite thick like mashed potatoes.

Remove from the heat and immediately scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top as best as you can (try using an offset spatula or the flat edge of a bowl scraper to flatten and smooth).

Cool completely at room temperature. If you have time, ideally cover and refrigerate for another 1 to 2 hours or up to overnight, but it’s also fine to proceed at this stage if you don’t.

Flip the pan over onto a board to unmold the panisse mixture. Cut into thick batons, about ¾-inch-wide and 3-to-4-inches long (the length will depend on the pan you used and the best way to divide it up). If the knife sticks, wet it between slicing.

Remove panisses from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate or tray or remove from the air-fryer. Sprinkle salt over the top and repeat with the remaining batches.

Serve immediately. Panisses are traditionally served plain, but you can also try any of the following serving suggestions: sprinkled with sumac, dipped in aioli, curry mayo/aioli, harissa mayo/aioli, or sriracha mayo/aioli.