This is my take on a classic Indian dish, chana masala. (Chana is chickpea in Indian). It typically contains a blend of spices, tomatoes, onion, and chickpeas of course.
I use fire roasted tomatoes in this for a nice smoky depth of flavor as opposed to regular tomatoes. I think it goes really well with the blend of spices in this dish.
This recipe comes together really quickly, and it is super flavorful, and vegetarian too. I do want to warn you that it has a lot of kick. My nose was running when I was eating it, but I love spicy food. If you want to tone it down, cut down on the curry and garam masala to 1/2 tsp. each or even less if you are really sensitive.
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 min.
Cook time: 45 min.
1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced fire roasted tomatoes (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
1 1/2 cups brown jasmine rice, cooked (I use TJ’s brand)
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. madras curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
pinch of cardamom
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 c. water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
Begin by heating a large skillet with 2 T. olive oil over medium/high heat. Sauté onions and garlic for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and caramelized. Add garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, and cinnamon, drained chickpeas, water, and can of tomatoes. Stir to combine, and reduce heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. During last couple minutes of cooking, add lemon juice and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. If mixture gets too dry, feel free to add more water. Serve over brown jasmine rice, and garnish with more chopped cilantro if desired.
Love this. I am trying to make dishes a little simpler for you to make, because I tend to use a billion ingredients when I cook. Let me know how you like this!
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