Channa (chickpea curry)

Indian food, especially curry, has a really bad reputation for being unhealthy. The food served in Indian restaurants (and all restaurants) the world over generally employs short cuts for good taste. However, if you use slow heat and good spices, you can make a healthy and super tasty Indian food at home.

One of my favorite (quick) vegetarian curries is Channa, or chickpea curry. It's spicy and delicious, and goes well with both flat breads (roti, paratha, naan or even tortillas in a pinch) or rice. The curry, as I make it, is a thick and protein rich and a super satisfying low-maintenance weeknight meal. This recipe serves 3-5 people.

Recipe:

2 cans of Chickpeas

1 White Onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. ginger paste, or 1 inch fresh ginger, minced

2-3 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. cumin seed (you could also use ground cumin, but add this portion when you are meant to add the seeds)

2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp. turmeric

3/4 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. vegetable oil (or another neutral oil)

1 c. water

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add onions to the oil and fry until golden. Add ginger and garlic to the saucepan.

2) Add cumin seeds and fry until some of the seeds start to pop. At this point, the onion should be deeply golden brown. If the onions/garlic/ginger/cumin seed mixture starts to stick to the pan, add a bit of water to deglaze the pan.

3) Add the other spices and tomato paste. By this point, you should have a fairly thick paste. If you want to thin it a bit, or if it is sticking to the pan, then add a bit more water, and stir.

4) Fry this paste until the spices are very fragrant. Add water if you would like to thin it out a bit.

5) Drain chickpeas. Add the beans to the spice paste and stir to combine. Add a bit of water.

6) Cover and let the mixture cook for a minimum of 15 minutes, or up to a couple of hours. Check on the mixture regularly and add water if it is sticking to the pan.

7) Serve, with bread or rice, and cilantro chutney.

This is definitely a go-to in my house. I hope you enjoy it!

Until our next dinner,

ceh.