Chickpea (Channa) Masala

Today I thought I'd give one of my favorite Indian dishes, channa masala, a try.  I didn't have a recipe for it, so I thought I would experiment with different spices and flavors until it turned into something familiar - and it did!  So if you want a simple recipe to follow which will get you "authentic" results, this is it :)...

Ingredients:
2 cups dried chickpeas (soaked overnight)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
4 tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt, pepper to taste
1/2 cup yoghurt (optional)

Method:
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight.  Boil the soaked chickpeas in water for about half an hour. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil over a low heat in a large pan. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamom pods.  Remove after a couple of minutes.
3. Add the onion to the oil, cook until they are translucent, stirring continuously.
4. Add the minced garlic and continue to stir.
5. Add the tomatoes to the onions and coat with about 1/2 cup of water.
6. Add the garam masala, turmeric and cumin.
7. Season with salt and pepper.  Adjust the seasoning to your liking (I like this dish mild but you may want to spice it up).
8. Add the yoghurt (optional).
9. Add more water if necessary (if you feel like the dish is getting dry) and cover and cook on a low heat for about 15 more minutes.
10. Serve with naan or basmati rice.

Serves 4

If you like this dish check out these recipes:
Easy vegetable curry
Chicken tikka masala
Murg makhani (Indian butter chicken)


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