Chana Masala Goodness

I love Indian food, and this is one of my favorites... The beauty of this dish is that it makes a lot and it is super simple. It can feed that Army bus that breaks down in front of your house by coincidence, the Partridge family, or give a single girl like me lots to freeze for later. It takes about 2 hours to prepare, so be ready for that... Completely worth it!  Make sure that if you use dried beans that you soak them overnight  Honestly, I will often still boil them for at least an hour before I make this dish.

Chana Masala

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
1 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 jalapeño, diced
4 tablespoons ginger, freshly grated
8 cloves garlic
1 large onion
1 lb soaked chickpeas (overnight)
4 cups water or veggie stock (or veggie cube), more water if needed
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
salt/pepper to taste, cilantro for a garnish (about 1 cup), diced red onion for garnish
juice of one lemon just before serving

Directions:

In a wok or large, cold pan place oil, spices, garlic, onions, jalapeño and ginger. Slowly bring up to a medium temperature. You can add a bit of water or stock until the onions are translucent. Add the Chickpeas, stock or water (and more water as needed) and tomatoes and turn the heat to about medium, cover and cook for about 75 minutes or so, and then drop the heat back to low. Let the flavors combine for a while. If the mixture looks too dry add some water or stock. Just before serving taste and adjust seasonings, stir in the cilantro and lemon juice. Serve over basmati rice.

VegWeb.com