Posted by Nichole Leigh
Hi Readers! I hope that 2012 is already proving to be an exceptional year! After a much needed blogging break, I'm ready to hit the ground running! Er.... that is to say, hit the keyboard typing?
Anyway, J and I spent the holidays in Long Island with his family, and Oh My God did we eat! A lot. Every single day. Excessively, even. J's mother (who originally hails from an island off the coast of Italy) is some sort of seafood Goddess. She goes to the fish market nearly every day and haggles with the fishmongers (in Italian, of course) to secure the freshest seafood available. In the ten days that we stayed with J's family, I consumed fresh clams three times, octopus (yes!) twice, mussels twice, calamari, oysters, and god knows how many types of fish. The whole experience was incredible and we had a great time.
But, since we've returned to our little Pittsburgh apartment, I've barely cooked anything. We've been home for twelve days, and I have only cooked dinner once. So what have we been eating? Raw fruit, vegetables, and bread. The fare has been a bit simplistic, but I think we needed a break from complicated, multi-course meals.
Cooking exhaustion aside, I wanted to share the most recent thing I prepared for dinner: this simple, quick, and super satisfying Channa Masala, or Chickpea Curry. If your kitchen is stocked with Indian spices, this is a particularly easy dish to throw together. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes.
Hi Readers! I hope that 2012 is already proving to be an exceptional year! After a much needed blogging break, I'm ready to hit the ground running! Er.... that is to say, hit the keyboard typing?
Anyway, J and I spent the holidays in Long Island with his family, and Oh My God did we eat! A lot. Every single day. Excessively, even. J's mother (who originally hails from an island off the coast of Italy) is some sort of seafood Goddess. She goes to the fish market nearly every day and haggles with the fishmongers (in Italian, of course) to secure the freshest seafood available. In the ten days that we stayed with J's family, I consumed fresh clams three times, octopus (yes!) twice, mussels twice, calamari, oysters, and god knows how many types of fish. The whole experience was incredible and we had a great time.
But, since we've returned to our little Pittsburgh apartment, I've barely cooked anything. We've been home for twelve days, and I have only cooked dinner once. So what have we been eating? Raw fruit, vegetables, and bread. The fare has been a bit simplistic, but I think we needed a break from complicated, multi-course meals.
Cooking exhaustion aside, I wanted to share the most recent thing I prepared for dinner: this simple, quick, and super satisfying Channa Masala, or Chickpea Curry. If your kitchen is stocked with Indian spices, this is a particularly easy dish to throw together. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes.
Channa Masala - Chickpea Curry
This recipe was adapted from Neelam Batra's 1000 Indian Recipes. I usually serve this dish with rice because it's a pretty soupy curry, but you can certainly eat it with chapati or naan too (if you have a Tandoor oven, that is!) The recipe features the use of canned chickpeas, which is not exactly authentic, but the curry is still delicious.
 |
| Photo Courtesy of Hookedonheat.com. View the original here. (I left my camera charger in NY - working on getting it back) |
Ingredients
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 fresh green chili peppers, such as serrano, stemmed
1 fresh green chili peppers, such as serrano, stemmed
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1 quarter-sized sliced peeled fresh ginger
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Garam Masala + 1/4 teaspoon for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plain soy milk whisked with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Garam Masala + 1/4 teaspoon for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plain soy milk whisked with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
1 can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
Directions
1. In a food processor or a blender, combine the onion, green chili peppers, garlic, and ginger to make a paste. Remove to a bowl, then purée the tomatoes.
3. Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion, garlic, chili pepper, and ginger paste and cook, stirring over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until the juices evaporate, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the coriander, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, and lime juice, then add the soy a little at a time, stirring constantly.
Directions
1. In a food processor or a blender, combine the onion, green chili peppers, garlic, and ginger to make a paste. Remove to a bowl, then purée the tomatoes.
3. Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion, garlic, chili pepper, and ginger paste and cook, stirring over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until the juices evaporate, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the coriander, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, and lime juice, then add the soy a little at a time, stirring constantly.
5. Mix into the chickpeas and simmer about 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Add more water for a thinner curry.
6. Transfer to a serving dish, mix in the cilantro and the remaining garam masala, and serve.
