::indian:chickpeas::

When my Pappafranz was down for a business trip he had a day or two to hang out with my Sis and I - they decided to end up coming to visit me where we went to an Indian restaurant for lunch. It was the first time I went out for Indian and it was absolutely delicious! The food was amazing and not heavy at all. I love how they use all these different spices in their food and it just tastes incredible. 

So I decided that I was going to start dabbling in some Indian cooking and got a cookbook from Bal Arneson called "Everyday Indian". It has a bunch of fast and healthy Indian recipes and as I flipped through the book one instantly caught my eye that involved chickpeas. I love chickpeas. So I decided that I'm going to share the recipe with you. You can find it in her book on page 98. My only complaint about the book is that there aren't many photo's in there. I would have loved to see more pictures - that is one of the best parts of a cookbook of course!

Bon Appetit!

My Mother's Chickpeas

"Chickpeas take a long time to cook, so usually I make a big pot and freeze them. I soak them overnight in hot water and boil them the next day for an hour until I can crush them easily with a fork. I have used the canned chickpeas many times as well, and it doesn't change the flavour of the dish. If you use canned chickpeas, drain them, and rinse them with fresh water before adding them to the sauce."

Ingredients

2 tbsp grapeseed oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1 green chili, finely chopped (more for garnish)

2 tsp Chana Masala

1 tsp salt

2 cups cooked chickpeas {or one 14 oz can}

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro {optional}

Directions

Place the oil, onion, garlic, and ginger in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, green chili, chana masala, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the chickpeas to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off, cover the pan with a lid, and let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of cilantro or chopped green chili if desired. Serve with brown rice and Papaya Chicken {page 132}.

Serves 4 

I know, I know. I didn't post the Papaya Chicken recipe...if you guys want it then let me know and I will be more then happy to share! :)

Hope you enjoy!

Oh - and the image isn't from the cookbook - I decided to just choose one from Google Images that looked similar to the one in the book. Just FYI. Lol. 

-S.*

{Source: Image from Google Images}