CHICKPEA CURRY

Good afternoon!

If you are passionate about the land of the Gods, and like spices and spicy food, then you are in the right place. Don't like it? But I advise you not to miss the recipe, because I will give you preparation tips with other types of spices and variations. Are you vegan? It does not matter, because in this recipe you will also have your turn.

Click here to go straight to the recipe (CHICKPEA CURRY)

I always like to start by talking about the origin of dishes, and this one is a bit confusing since Dal besides being a dish made with legumes can also refer to any legume such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans, etc.

In India, (Desi) Chana is used to refer to black chickpea, a smaller, younger and sweeter kind of chickpea, while Chana dal refers to them when peeled and broken. The grains then have a yellow color that should not be confused with Moong dal (mung beans) whose grains are smaller and oval.

This recipe is popular in North India, and yes, and like so many other recipes, countless ways to make it, you can even create your own version, using any other legumes and other types of spices in smaller or larger quantities, if you are already used to the flavors.

If you don't like Indian food, or even if you don't have the spices at home, you can easily replace them or even not use them and still have a delicious vegetarian meal, and I'll show you how. Even if it does not taste like Indian food, it will be a delicious and healthy dish.

It can be served with white rice or with any of the numerous Indian breads, believe me, a treat.

I prepared it in two versions, because in one of them, I served with basmati rice, so I left with a little more sauce and in the other I left drier and used open mini flatbread, spread butter and heated in the pan.

Preparing this dish is basically like making your beans every day, the only thing that changes is that you will use tomato purée and spices, the rest as for example cooking, fire time, or more, or less sauce and other types of seasonings, is up to you. Super democratic.

As always, you can see the video, go to the step by step or still go to the recipe in full, but the tips and substitutions are in the step by step, you decide.

Ingredient:

Step by step

Well, let's start with tomatoes, you can use ready-made tomato purée or make your own. I chose to make it, so I chose the Italian creeping tomato because it has fewer seeds, less water and the interior is more fleshy and sweeter, perfect for this recipe or any other recipe with sauce.

I believe that everyone already knows the little secret to take the skin off tomatoes, if you don't know it yet, let's go.

Make an X on the tomato. Put a saucepan on the fire with water and as soon as it boils, put the tomatoes and leave for approximately 30 seconds. As this tomato is firmer, you do not need to interrupt the cooking with ice, just pass it under running water, and remove the skin easily.

Then just cut coarsely without worrying about the seeds, because the amount is minimal and, believe me, it will not make a difference to leave them. Already, if you are going to use tomatoes that have a larger amount, it is necessary to remove them before processing or pass through a sieve after processing.

Garlic, onion, and ginger

I used the purple onion, which doesn't have taste so strong, but can be any and any size. Process with the ginger. The size of the ginger is according to your taste, as I like it very much, I put a piece of 6 cm or so. If you don't like the intense flavor, use less.

I don't use garlic, I don't like it, but if you like it, you can use 3 cloves of garlic and process with the onion and ginger.

Spice powder

Turmeric, it is super easy to find and so healthy that I recommend not excluding it from the recipe. As for cumin and coriander, the same thing, but you can reduce the amount if you are not so intimate with these spices, but believe me, it makes all the difference.

You can replace or add ingredients such as sweet, spicy or smoked paprika for extra flavor.

Red chili powder, super optional, I like it very spicy, and Indian food is spicy, but obviously this is a personal choice.

Salt, I used the pink salt.

Oil and ghee

You can replace ghee for butter, however, if you want a vegan food, opt for coconut oil or another of your choice.

Whole spices

Cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom: use it, it will give a special flavor, even if it is in smaller portions, that way if you are not used to it, you will gradually integrate into these incredible flavors and aromas in your life.

As for the whole pepper, it is also optional, or you can still remove the seeds.

Chickpeas: soak for 12 hours or more. Drain the water and cook in the pressure cooker for 25 min approximately. Despise the cooking water.

Well, let’s start cooking? I recommend using a thick-bottomed non-stick pan.

Start by heating the oil and ghee and then add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and red pepper. If you’re going to use it whole, pierce it first.

As soon as it starts to change color and releasing the aromas, it will be perfect.

Then add the onion purée, garlic, ginger and salt, as it helps to remove the water from the onion. Stir occasionally until golden brown, if using garlic, do not let it brown too much otherwise the garlic will burn and become bitter.

Now add the tomato purée and mix so that the onion paste integrates with the tomatoes. Then add the powdered spices except the Garam Masala, which will be added at the end.

Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally so as not to catch on the bottom. This process is a little time consuming, because although the tomato has little water, we will still need it to evaporate, so this time will depend on the type of tomato you use.

Once the water has evaporated, the oil will separate from the puree, it's time to add the chickpeas that should be drained. Add one and a half cups of water.

Again cover the pan with a lid and always on low heat, leave until the sauce thickens. Add the Garam Masala and leave for another five minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, but if you don't like it, use parsley.

If eating with rice, you can leave it with more sauce, but if it is with bread, leave it drier, more consistent.

The picture below is for eating with bread.

The photo below, with more sauce and I still added half a glass of coconut milk, it becomes velvety, sweetish, from the gods!!

That's it, now you can choose how you are going to do it and what you want to accompany it. Oh my God, I'm going to be repetitive, can I 😏? With the denser sauce I served with flatbread passed in butter and then heated in the pan on both sides and on the other I served with basmati rice cooked in fresh coconut, coconut milk and grilled okra at the end.

You can still make this same recipe for lentils, white beans, legumes, in short, use the same base for countless recipes.

CHICKPEA CURRY

Ingredient:

2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained

2 cups tomato purée

1 medium onion

1 piece of ginger (approximately 5 cm)

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons ghee or butter

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala

1 teaspoon red pepper powder (optional)

4 to 5 cardamom

4 to 5 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 red pepper (optional)

Coriander to finish

How to make:

Process the onion and ginger.

Place a thick-bottomed, non-stick saucepan over low heat and heat the oil and ghee. Add cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and red pepper. As soon as it changes color and the aroma comes off, add the onion purée and salt.

Leave until golden brown and add tomato purée. Mix and add the powdered spices, except the Garam Masala.

Mix, reduce heat, cover the pan and leave over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the water in the tomato purée has evaporated.

Add the chickpeas and 1 and a half cup of the water. Cover again and still over low heat, leave until very dense if you are going to eat it with bread, or with more sauce if eating with rice.

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