johnrobe

This recipe isn’t really mine, it’s based on one that Harpreet gave me, for which I am really thankful. I’ve made minor adjustments. This is a really healthy recipe, with all the flavour of the channa you might get a good Indian recipe, but without a lot of the fat that some places have.

Ingredients

3 teaspoons of chili powder *
2 teaspoons of garam masala
2 teaspoons of fresh garlic
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon of tumeric
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cooking onion, diced
1 tablespoon of oil **
1 potato, diced
1 can of chick peas
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of water

* The type of chili powder to use depends on your heat tolerance. You can use regular chili powder and you end up with a reasonably mild dish. That’s mild for me and most of my friends. Pretty sure it would still blow the heads of my family. I use ground chili that I bought in an Indian grocery. I’m not sure what kind of chili was used in it, but I suspect it’s bird’s eye chili. It’s pretty freaky hot though. Yum.

** The type and amount of oil you use is up to you. I use olive oil that comes from a bottle with spices and peppers in it, and I use only enough to make the onions and garlic start to sweat, but you could use just about anything.

Instructions

Heat the pan you’ll be using. I use a non-stick flat bottomed wok, but you could (and maybe even should) use a deep frying pan. Add the oil. Add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry until the onions are soft and sweating. Add the dry spices (coriander, chili, tumeric, garam masala, salt). Add a little bit of water because things are probably a little gummy.

Add the tomatoes, potato and chick peas. Add water so everything is almost covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium so it’s simmering at a reasonable pace. Simmer for 20 minutes at this pace, stirring and adding water as needed. After 20 minutes or so, reduce heat all the way down to a mild simmer and simmer until the sauce thickens, another 10-20 minutes.

Other stuff to try

Try adding some chicken if you don’t want to go totally vegetarian or you want to mix up the texture a little. Just add it early on when you’re cooking the onion and cook it until it’s done or almost done before moving on to the next step.

Try adding some yogurt towards the end if you want to thicken it up and make it more rich. Do this in the last 5-10 minutes or so when it’s not simmering too hard.

Try using chicken broth or wine instead of some of the water to make the flavour more rich. I’ve used the broth, and Harpreet recommends the wine.