Popularly know as ‘Chana Masala’ in India. This dish is easy to make and can be eaten with plain rice, Indian bread or any flat bread.
Ingredients for 3 servings
- 1/4 tsp olive/canola oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1” cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly cracked
- 2 whole cloves
- ½ medium size yellow/red onion, minced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- ½ -1 serrano pepper, minced (use even less if you don’t like things spicy!)
- 4 roma tomatoes, finely chopped (or pureed in a blender / food processor)
- ¼ -1/2 tsp Indian red chili pepper powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ -1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp amchur powder or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt to taste (1/2 – 1 tsp)
- 1 can (25 oz) or 2 (15 oz) cans of Garbanzo bean drained and rinsed well
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro to garnish
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves stir and immediately add onion. Sauté’ onion till golden about 3-4 minutes then add garlic, ginger and serrano pepper cook another minute then add tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes are cooked down completely, about 4-5 minutes. Now add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur powder and salt. Cook for another minute.
- Add the beans and stir for 3-5 minutes to incorporate the sauce now add a cup of water, smash a few beans from the back of your spoon and cook the curry for 5 minutes. (You may have to add another ½ cup of hot water at this point if you need more gravy). Garnish with cilantro.