Chana Masala
For many years, I had been wanting to make some Chana Masala... I loved eating it, but was always intimidated by the number of unfamiliar spices that were included in the recipes I read. But over the last few years, I got used to using cumin and cardamom in dishes, and one day, I was sitting around with a 28 oz can of chickpeas and decided to give it a whirl.
I found the following recipe on a blog at http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/02/public-display-of-chickpeas.html.
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Good-quality olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 Tbs cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
A pinch of cayenne, or to taste
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6-8 Tbs plain whole-milk yogurt, optional
A few lemon wedges, optional
Film the bottom of a large saucepan or Dutch oven-preferably not nonstick-with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots. Be patient. The more color, the more full-flavored the final dish will be.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.
Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 2 Tbs water, and cook for another five minutes. Add another 2 Tbs water, and cook until the water is absorbed, a few minutes more. This process of adding and cooking off water helps to concentrate the sauce’s flavor and makes the chickpeas more tender and toothsome. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Stir in the yogurt, if you like, or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.
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Notes:
The first time I made this, I used the whole tomatoes. I found that I was incapable of seeding them without spraying tomato juice and seeds 10 feet across the kitchen. Of course, the recipe doesn't say to seed them, but I didn't want to change it being too bitter. The next time I made the recipe, I just used diced tomatoes (which I always have handy) and things turned out just fine.
While it tastes really great, I still don't think it looks quite right to have coarsely chopped onion pieces in my chana masala. I guess I've just had too many restaurant servings of it, and don't recall ever seeing significant pieces of onion. The second time I made it, I was halfway between a course chop and a dice with my onions, and it was still great.
I don't use the cilantro in the dish, add yogurt at the end, or garnish with lemon wedges/cilantro. However, I may put cilantro in the dish the next time I make it. I hate cilantro in Vietnamese food and in salsa, but when I made chicken biryani (next entry) and added cilantro in both the dish and the accompanying yogurt sauce, I really didn't mind it. I guess some more experimenting is in order.
Finally, sorry I don't have any pictures -- I usually get so engrossed in cooking that when I'm done, I just want to eat and don't think about taking pictures. I'll see if I can make picture-taking part of my recipe-testing routine.
I found the following recipe on a blog at http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/02/public-display-of-chickpeas.html.
-----
Good-quality olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 Tbs cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
A pinch of cayenne, or to taste
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6-8 Tbs plain whole-milk yogurt, optional
A few lemon wedges, optional
Film the bottom of a large saucepan or Dutch oven-preferably not nonstick-with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots. Be patient. The more color, the more full-flavored the final dish will be.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.
Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 2 Tbs water, and cook for another five minutes. Add another 2 Tbs water, and cook until the water is absorbed, a few minutes more. This process of adding and cooking off water helps to concentrate the sauce’s flavor and makes the chickpeas more tender and toothsome. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Stir in the yogurt, if you like, or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.
------
Notes:
The first time I made this, I used the whole tomatoes. I found that I was incapable of seeding them without spraying tomato juice and seeds 10 feet across the kitchen. Of course, the recipe doesn't say to seed them, but I didn't want to change it being too bitter. The next time I made the recipe, I just used diced tomatoes (which I always have handy) and things turned out just fine.
While it tastes really great, I still don't think it looks quite right to have coarsely chopped onion pieces in my chana masala. I guess I've just had too many restaurant servings of it, and don't recall ever seeing significant pieces of onion. The second time I made it, I was halfway between a course chop and a dice with my onions, and it was still great.
I don't use the cilantro in the dish, add yogurt at the end, or garnish with lemon wedges/cilantro. However, I may put cilantro in the dish the next time I make it. I hate cilantro in Vietnamese food and in salsa, but when I made chicken biryani (next entry) and added cilantro in both the dish and the accompanying yogurt sauce, I really didn't mind it. I guess some more experimenting is in order.
Finally, sorry I don't have any pictures -- I usually get so engrossed in cooking that when I'm done, I just want to eat and don't think about taking pictures. I'll see if I can make picture-taking part of my recipe-testing routine.