Chickpeas are a great food. Much like the mighty soy bean, you can do a ton of things to them: mash them and combine with tahini to make hummus, falafel is made from chickpeas; you can eat them whole and baked, or in yummy stews. My dog especially likes chickpeas.My favorite chickpea dish to date is a version of Chana Masala, an Indian chickpea dish. Real Chana Masala should have something called garam masala; I don't have an Indian specialty grocer in my area, so I sort of throw the spices all together, and I go heavy on the cinnamon.
Here's the recipe:
1 large onion (vidalia or yellow) chopped
8-12 fresh roma tomatoes (chopped) (if you can't find fresh, canned plum tomatoes that aren't packed with basil work fine--just drain and chop them up)
some garlic (I like to use a lot, ~8 cloves) chopped
tumeric (as much as you'd like. A few shakes to start would be fine)
cayenne pepper (as much as you'd like)
cumin seeds (few sprinkles)
ginger (I used dried, ground ginger, but you can use fresh ginger...A few tsps should do)
coriander (few shakes, but not as much as the tumeric)
cinnamon (use the most of this, it is SOOOOO yummy)
black pepper to taste
20 oz can of chickpeas
Olive oil (OO)
You'll need a pretty deep cast iron pan. The one I use is about 4" deep, has a handle and a glass cover.
Pour enough OO in the pan to cover the bottom; put heat to medium, add the onion and garlic. When the onion starts to get a bit translucent, add the cumin seeds. Stir. Then add the tumeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, coriander, black pepper, and cinnamon. Stir, and make sure you smell the the gorgeous spices!
Add the chopped roma tomatoes, and stir. Wait a bit for the tomatoes to break down and get saucy. Add the chickpeas with the water they are packed in. Stir, bring to a boil, then decrease heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until most of the water has boiled off. Occasionally taste test to see if the spices are right--sometimes I add a bit more tumeric or cinnamon, maybe some pepper.
When the stew is done, it's best served in a cute little bowl with some basmati rice. This particular recipe will provide roughly 5 bowls, so it's great to make on a weekend and then eat during the week.
Here's the recipe:
1 large onion (vidalia or yellow) chopped
8-12 fresh roma tomatoes (chopped) (if you can't find fresh, canned plum tomatoes that aren't packed with basil work fine--just drain and chop them up)
some garlic (I like to use a lot, ~8 cloves) chopped
tumeric (as much as you'd like. A few shakes to start would be fine)
cayenne pepper (as much as you'd like)
cumin seeds (few sprinkles)
ginger (I used dried, ground ginger, but you can use fresh ginger...A few tsps should do)
coriander (few shakes, but not as much as the tumeric)
cinnamon (use the most of this, it is SOOOOO yummy)
black pepper to taste
20 oz can of chickpeas
Olive oil (OO)
You'll need a pretty deep cast iron pan. The one I use is about 4" deep, has a handle and a glass cover.
Pour enough OO in the pan to cover the bottom; put heat to medium, add the onion and garlic. When the onion starts to get a bit translucent, add the cumin seeds. Stir. Then add the tumeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, coriander, black pepper, and cinnamon. Stir, and make sure you smell the the gorgeous spices!
Add the chopped roma tomatoes, and stir. Wait a bit for the tomatoes to break down and get saucy. Add the chickpeas with the water they are packed in. Stir, bring to a boil, then decrease heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until most of the water has boiled off. Occasionally taste test to see if the spices are right--sometimes I add a bit more tumeric or cinnamon, maybe some pepper.
When the stew is done, it's best served in a cute little bowl with some basmati rice. This particular recipe will provide roughly 5 bowls, so it's great to make on a weekend and then eat during the week.
Bon Appetit!
4 comments:
I've tasted this recipe and so can vouch, first hand, that is it scrumptious. Try it!!
Chickpeas also have nice aerodynamic properties, which is awefully convenient if you are prone to throwing food items.
And now a tip for you bean shy peeps: make sure to rinse your beans well before cooking - this washes off that little indigestible sugar that your colonic bacteria like so so much. In turn, this will make you more loveable.
Love the idea! And a I think a good source of protein for those of us that work to get protein into our diet...
Sounds yummy. I think chickpeas are also a nice option for those of us that have to work to get protein into our diet...
Here's an added bonus, if you happen to be someone who doesn't get enough iron in your diet. Cooking the dish with the Roma tomatoes will cause it to be slightly acidic, which will in turn leach out a bit of iron from the pan, enough to be nutritionally valuable, but not enough to spoil the taste.
Don't worry, I'm pretty sure your pan will never disappear, even if you cook this dish daily ;-)
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