Chickpea Masala

Chickpea is one of my favourite legumes.  I love the versatility of these little beauties as well as the health and nutritional benefits it adds to our diets.  With this recipe I’ve made my own masala which adds a dynamic and rich flavour to this dish.

 Nutty-tasting legumes in a delicious semi dry curry

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 – 30 minutes

Serves: 4

1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil

¼ tsp black mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

½ yellow asafoetida

½ cup finely chopped onion

2-3 green chillies finely chopped

1 tsp (5ml garlic & ginger paste) optional

1 ½ cups boiled and softened chickpeas

1 tbsp (15ml) mild chilli powder

½ cup chopped tomatoes

1 tsp (5ml) salt

1 tsp (5ml) brown sugar

½ cup water

Pinch black salt

1 tbsp (15ml) ghee (clarified butter)

½ cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Dry roast and pound following spices

1 tbsp (15ml) coriander seeds

½ tbsp (7.5ml) cumin seeds

1 tsp (5ml) fennel seeds

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

¼ tsp whole black pepper corns

2 cloves

1 black cardamom pod

1 green cardamom pod

Let’s cook 🙂

• Roast spices in a pan until flavour starts to emanate. Cool down and pound into a powder with a spice grinder or  pestle & mortar
• Heat oil in a pot. Toss in mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.  Once seeds pop and leaves splatter – add onion & chilli – cook until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add garlic and ginger paste – cook for a few seconds
• Toss in chickpeas with dry roast spice powder. If you have a low threshold to spice just 1  tablespoon as well as  chilli powder – give it a good stir
• Add tomatoes & salt and cook on medium heat or 10 minutes occasionally stirring.
• Pour in water as well as sugar and cook for a further 10 – 12 minutes
• Sprinkle black salt and spoon over in ghee.
• Garnish with coriander and serve with vetkoek   hit link for recipe (http://wp.me/s5WmT0-vetkoek)  or puri

Hot tip:  if you want a curry more liquid add 1 – 1 ½ cups water and then smash some of the chickpeas with a spoon.  This will form a nice consistency gravy.