By Jan Calvert
CHANA Masala is a chickpea curry which is popular in South Asia and is a core dish of Northern India.
Cheap and nutritious food for all the family
Chickpeas, also known as ‘chana’ or ‘chola’, are cooked with onions, tomatoes and lots of spices to make a cheap and nutritious dish for all the family.
A 240g tin of chickpeas costs as little as 40p (or a 1 kg bag of dried chickpeas costs around £3.00) and provides roughly 230 calories, 12g of protein, 10g of dietary fibre plus 4g of unsaturated fats which are healthy for the heart.
Chickpeas are also packed with vitamins and minerals including folate (Vitamin B9) and iron for energy and red blood cell production. Containing manganese which promotes metabolic function and strong bones as well as magnesium and potassium, chick peas are little balls of good energy!
Rimpu Bains of Leeds City Libraries said, “Chana Masala is a summer delight. Let’s get cooking!”
Ingredients
Half a teaspoon of cumin seeds
Half a teaspoon of mustard seeds
3/4 black peppercorns
2 black cardamoms
2 cloves
1 or 2 dried red chilies
2-inch cinnamon stick
A few curry or bay leaves
Pinch of ajwain seeds also called carom seeds for digestion
3-4 onions
2-3 cm of fresh ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic
4-6 fresh tomatoes or a tin of tomatoes
Ground spice – turmeric, garam masala, coriander
1 tin of chickpeas
Fresh lemon
Fresh coriander, red onion and green chillies if you like it extra spicy!
Method
If you are using dry chickpeas, soak overnight in a pan of cold water, rinse, add fresh water and boil until soft.
Prepare the spices: cumin seeds, mustard seed, ground black pepper, black cardamon, cloves, red chilli, cinnamon stick, curry or bay leaves and carom seeds
(grind in a pestle and mortar or leave whole and remove the cardamon, cloves and cinnamon stick before serving if desired).
Fry in a little olive oil until the fragrances are released.
Add 3 to 4 chopped onions to the spices and cook on a low heat until golden brown.
Add finely chopped fresh ginger and garlic then fresh or tinned tomatoes and cook gently on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Add a pinch of salt and ground spice to taste.
Simmer till the masala releases its oil then add the chick peas, a little boiled water and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Simmer for a further 20 minutes then smash some of the chickpeas to give a thickness to the curry sauce.
Garnish with fresh coriander, finely cut red onions and green chillies if you like extra spice in your life!
Serve with rice, puri bread or as a side at the BBQ.
Enjoy!
For an alternative and really simple chick pea recipe, mash or blend a tin of chickpeas with a spoon of tahini, clove of garlic, half a squeezed lemon and a good glug of olive oil to make homemade hummus – kids love it with carrot batons or pitta bread as a snack.
Rimpu added: “Come to any Leeds City Library to browse recipes or borrow a cookbook with recipes from around the world.”
