by Aleister
Feeds 3-4 alone, 5-6 if served with rice.
Okay, so, before you get all uptight about food that has to cook for several hours- this dish is completely worth it. And while it cooks, you can burn some Nag Champa, do some yoga, and listen to Ravi Shankar. Chana Masala, which translates roughly as “Chickpeas with spices” is an easy dish, a staple of Indian food, and you'll never forget the orgy of taste and spice dancing on your tongue when you eat it.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ large white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 large bell pepper, any color
2 cans chickpeas
½ can peas
Spices:
1 dash salt
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp black pepper (ground or peppercorns)
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground clove
½ – 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground coriander
Preparation:
1. Heat oil and add garlic (whole) and onion (diced). Sauté until onions are soft.
2. Add bell pepper (cubed), both cans of chickpeas (undrained- the liquid will become the sauce), and peas.
3. Stir in spices. For the cayenne, add none for a mild dish*** (which will still have a kick due to the cinnamon and black pepper), add ½ tsp for a medium dish, and 1 tsp for a hot dish. Simmer for as long as you have – the longer the dish cooks, the more time the flavors party together, and the better it tastes in the end. Cook for at least three hours, and if you have ten hours, then cook for ten hours.
**A quick note about the level of heat: If you've eaten Indian food, you know that hot/spicy/ten-out-of-ten means SPICY AS HELL. Adding the full tsp of cayenne will create a dish so spicy that you'll sweat when you eat it, and consume mass amounts of milk to cut the spicy. This is the best way to eat Chana Masala – if you like really, really spicy food, then make this really, really spicy.
Enjoy!
Feeds 3-4 alone, 5-6 if served with rice.
Okay, so, before you get all uptight about food that has to cook for several hours- this dish is completely worth it. And while it cooks, you can burn some Nag Champa, do some yoga, and listen to Ravi Shankar. Chana Masala, which translates roughly as “Chickpeas with spices” is an easy dish, a staple of Indian food, and you'll never forget the orgy of taste and spice dancing on your tongue when you eat it.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ large white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 large bell pepper, any color
2 cans chickpeas
½ can peas
Spices:
1 dash salt
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp black pepper (ground or peppercorns)
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground clove
½ – 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground coriander
Preparation:
1. Heat oil and add garlic (whole) and onion (diced). Sauté until onions are soft.
2. Add bell pepper (cubed), both cans of chickpeas (undrained- the liquid will become the sauce), and peas.
3. Stir in spices. For the cayenne, add none for a mild dish*** (which will still have a kick due to the cinnamon and black pepper), add ½ tsp for a medium dish, and 1 tsp for a hot dish. Simmer for as long as you have – the longer the dish cooks, the more time the flavors party together, and the better it tastes in the end. Cook for at least three hours, and if you have ten hours, then cook for ten hours.
**A quick note about the level of heat: If you've eaten Indian food, you know that hot/spicy/ten-out-of-ten means SPICY AS HELL. Adding the full tsp of cayenne will create a dish so spicy that you'll sweat when you eat it, and consume mass amounts of milk to cut the spicy. This is the best way to eat Chana Masala – if you like really, really spicy food, then make this really, really spicy.
Enjoy!
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