Chana Masala

Here's a simple Indian favorite of mine. Chana masala has a spicy dry flavor that goes great over rice or with flatbread (as you can see in my photo, I chose flatbread this time). While I can't attest to exactly how authentic the recipe is, I can definitely vouch for the flavor! I like it spicy, so I added about twice as much red pepper. To cool it off, I topped my serving off with a cucumber, onion, and tomato salad--simply dice equal amounts of each ingredient to make.

God bless the chickpea.

Chana Masala

Ingredients:

2 tbs peanut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tsp ginger, grated

1 tbs guaram masala

1 tbs paprika

1 tsp tumeric

1 med tomato, diced

1 tbs tomato paste

1 15oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained

3 tbs coconut milk

1 tsp lime zest

1/2 tbs lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional (adjust to taste)

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

1/2 cup water (give or take a quarter cup)

Directions:

Heat oil on medium high heat in a large wok. Saute onions until pale golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, ginger, guaram masala, paprika, tumeric, tomato, and paste. Stir and simmer about 2 minutes. Add chick peas, coconut milk, lime zest and juice, salt, pepper, and jalapeno. Simmer 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally; add red pepper to taste. Stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes more or until peas are softened, adding water as needed to prevent the stew from drying out. Serve over rice or with flat bread. Makes 4 servings.