Inspired by Chickpea Curry!

Since the winning post for my FAVOURITE VEGETARIAN MEAL contest, was a Chickpea Curry, I am more than inspired to share the recipe!

Making a chickpea curry seems to appeal to so many – hence the number of votes that we had on this post.

A warming meal such as a curry is a perfect hearty meal for this time of year. Making a bowl of warming curry, can re-energize, revitalize you and make you feel good all over. As long as it is not too spicy (for me!). A curry typically means a blend of a number of spices that are extremely fragrant and have many healing properties. These include things like turmeric, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, fenugreek and  chilies. You can use any combination of spices to make your own delectable recipe! There are three main varieties of curries starting with yellow which is more mild (this is my favourite), green and red – which is hot and spicy.

Chickpeas often make up the bulk of many curry dishes. Chickpeas are extremely healthy boost the nutrition profile of any dish. Chickpeas are a great source of veggie protein, they are rich in complex carbohydrates and high in fiber. So added a dose of chickpeas to a soup, salad, stew or curry and you are going to get delicious flavour and an amazing chewy or crunchy texture.

Some curries, especially the ones I like to create have a base of coconut milk. This makes it rich and creamy and it tastes amazing when it is dressed on top of brown basmati rice or quinoa. Some more authentic curries are based in a tomato sauce and this is what is known as “chana masala“.

Since Sandy, the winning post’s meal sounded so enticing, I am going to post her authentic Chana Masala (chickpea curry) recipe.

Channa Masala recipe (chickpea curry)

2 cans of chickpeas

2 tablespoons of oil

5 cloves

3 cardamom pods (closed pods, do not break open)

2 bay leaves

1-1/2 cups of chopped onions

2 tsp garlic paste (available in the fridge section at East Indian stores)

2 tsp ginger paste (available in the fridge section at East Indian stores)

1-1/2 cups of chopped tomato

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp red chilli powder (or add more to taste for a spicier flavour)

1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 cup water (or add more if you want more gravy in the curry)

1 tsp garam masala (or add more to taste for a spicier flavour)

To prepare:

Rinse garbanzo beans in cold water and drain.

Heat a saucepan on medium heat and heat the oil in the pan. Add cloves, cardamom pods and bay leaves. Fry for approx. 30 seconds and you will smell the beautiful fragrance from the spices coming out…

Keep heat on medium and add chopped onions. Fry the onion and spice mixture for a few minutes, until the onions turn light brown (translucent). Add garlic and ginger paste, stir and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Raise heat to medium-high, add chopped tomatoes, stir and cover pan. Cook for approx. 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes become soft and break down. The mixture should start to look like a chunky gravy at this point. If not, you may need to cook it for a little bit longer. Add the tomato paste to the mixture and stir.

Take 4-5 tablespoons of your chickpeas and put them in a dish and mash them down a bit. Then add the mashed chickpeas and the balance of the whole chickpeas to the tomato mixture. (The mashed chickpeas will help to create a great gravy for your chickpea curry). Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add salt, red chilli powder, ground cumin and water. Keep heat on medium, stir, cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas have reached your desired consistency. Add garam masala, stir and return to the heat for another minute or so. Check seasoning at this time and add more salt, red chilli powder or garam masala if desired, keeping in mind that the curry should be cooked for another minute after any additional seasonings have been added, to allow the flavours to combine.

When it’s time to eat, serve the chickpea curry garnished with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro (if desired) either over basmati rice or serve with fresh naan bread or rotis.

Note: For the lacto vegetarians out there, this dish tastes great with a side of cucumber raita (in a bowl, mix a cup of peeled, deseeded, finely chopped cucumber and a small deseeded chopped tomato with 2 cups of plain (unsweetened!) yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon of salt (to taste) and fresh ground pepper).

Enjoy! Yum!