Chickpea Curry

Chickpea Curry


Serves 4


Ingredients


1 cup dried chickpeas / garbanzo beans (or 2 cups of the canned variety, rinsed and drained)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small fresh hot green chili pepper, finely sliced
1 tsp chana masala (see separate blog entry for this)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish


Directions


If using dried chickpeas, soak overnight in cold water to cover. Drain, place in a saucepan with enough fresh water to just cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked (45-60 mins). Drain chickpeas, reserving the cooking water.


Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions, garlic and ginger. In a small blender or food processor, blend the tomatoes with the green chili pepper and add this mixture to the pan along with the chana masala mix, salt and turmeric. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.


Add the chickpeas with about a cup of the reserved cooking water (or add the canned chickpeas with about 1 cup water), bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.


Check the consistency of the curry; you can add more water or, if you prefer a thicker sauce, mash a few of the chickpeas with the back of a wooden spoon. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro leaves.


Note: I usually mash about a quarter of the chickpeas to thicken it a bit.