Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Chickpea (Chole) Masala

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We're moving out and moving on! Soon, we will be in our new digs all the way on the other side of the Bay. We'll miss the Peninsula and everything it has to offer. But for now, the rubberneck week is hard to get through. To reduce the number of items that we must move, I've challenged myself to cook from the pantry and the freezer. You too can make this spicy and fragrant Indian dish if you have some pantry staples and a well-stocked spice rack. No trip to the grocery store required.
  • 2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped into large chunks
  • 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 1 cup of dried chickpeas
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seed
  • 3 teaspoons of ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
  • 3 teaspoons of cumin
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons of garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or 1 green chili, seeded and minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dried mango powder (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • chopped cilantro (optional garnish)
Soak dry chickpeas in water for 4 hours (or overnight). Cook chickpeas in a large pot of boiling water seasoned with salt for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked but not mushy. Drain. Set aside.

Place ginger, garlic and onion in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture has a paste-like consistency. In a large skillet, heat up 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Add cumin seeds and fry until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion, ginger and garlic mixture. Cook over medium heat until oil separates from the mixture. Add ground coriander, cumin, chili powder, cayenne powder (or minced green chili) and ground cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add diced tomatoes. Season with salt. Cook until oil separates again. Add garam masala, dried mango powder and cooked chickpeas. Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Cook for another 15 minutes over low heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve over some Basmati rice.

1 comment:

  1. Yay! Congrats! Hopefully we'll be moving soon too... ~P

    ReplyDelete