Chickpea Curry

Chickpea Curry

Chana Masala

(adapted from recipe on Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen Cookbook)

Chana Masala is perhaps the most popular Indian dish of all. Everyone knows about it, and every Indian restaurant has it on its menu Chana Masala uses a special spice blend, which is available in Indian stores or online.

Ingredients:

2 (15.5 ounce) cans chick peas or 2 cups dried chick peas, pressure cooked opr slow-cooked , drained.

2 small cans of diced tomatoes, no salt added

1 (2 inch) knob of ginger, chopped or 2 Tbsp ginger paste

6 cloves garlic or 2 Tbsp garlic paste

1 green chile, chopped (remove seeds to reduce heat)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 medium onion)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne

Generous pinch of asafetida (omit to make gluten-free)

2 teaspoons chana masala powder

½ teaspoon raw sugar

1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups water

¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish

¼ cup minced red onion, for garnish

1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice, for garnish

Directions:

  1. In a blender, combine ½ cup cooked chickpeas, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chile and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Faux-saute chopped onion in water until translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the cumin, turmeric, cayenne, asafetida, and chana masala blend. Mix well and cook for 1 minute
  3. Add the pureed tomato-chickpea mixture. Cook partially covered for 15 minutes, stirring once about half way through. Deglaze with a little water if needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the mixture is dry and starts to leave the side of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes. The tomatoes and spices will start to smell roasted.
  4. Add the cooked chickpeas and sugar and mix well. Add 2-1/2 cups of water. Cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes over medium-low heat. Taste, and and adjust spice at 30 minutes. Continue to cook until the chickpeas are very tender and easily mashed, or until desired consistency is achieved. Mash some of the chickpeas. Garnish with cilantro, minced onion and lemon juice. Serve hot.