Looking for something easy, tasty and warm to eat tonight — and tomorrow too? Here's one of our favorite fall and winter recipes, a nourishing recipe that we've made many, many times.
I guess it's chickpea week; between this and yesterday's socca recipe you're seeing our love of all things chickpea well exposed! But it's for good reason: chickpeas are healthy, tasty, and really nutritious.
This recipe for chana masala comes from Molly and Brandon at Orangette. (They have such good taste; I turn to their recipes frequently!) Chana masala is a classic Indian dish of chickpeas braised with spices, onions, and tomatoes. It's not too time-consuming, especially compared to other Indian braised curries, and it's vegetarian and even vegan if you leave out the yogurt.
But the payoff is true spicy deliciousness; the soft, toothsome chickpeas are wonderful comfort food, and the toasted spices and tangy tomatoes are a great way to brighten your evening.
One note on this recipe: I have made it many times, and I invariably taste it the first night and think "Bah. Not as good as I remembered it." Then I put it in the fridge and take it out again for lunch the next day, when it overcomes me with its amazing flavor. This is a dish that is perfectly fine the first night, but really great the next couple of days as the flavors bloom.
So if you have a chance, make a double batch and eat it throughout the week. It's even good lukewarm, in the lunchbox. Nothing like a spicy bite or two to wake you up during the day!
Get the recipe: Chana Masala at Orangette
Related: Weekend Cooking: How To Make Curry
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Yum! Another good pantry staples recipe.
love love love chana masala. This is one of my favorite easy satisfying indian recipes. you are right, it is very good the next day. Often when we cook indian for guests I will cook it the day before then let it heat up on low in the crock pot for a few hours before the meal, really lets the flavors meld together.
Looks like a great recipe very similar to the one we have been using for years now. If you like a lot of heat you can throw in a very finely diced Serrano chili or two with the garlic. And if you have fresh ginger grate some up instead of using the powdered stuff, really makes a difference!
Don't double it if you're eating alone, you'll get really, REALLY sick of it before you run out (I haven't eaten it in a year, oops).
This is a delicious recipe, though. Even my guy friends who scoffed at the idea of vegetarian food loved it.
Chana masala is a staple in my apartment; my boyfriend is Indian and cooks it pretty regularly. Adamwa is right; fresh (or even jarred refrigerated) ginger is much better than powdered.
As for leftovers, you can either eat them cold on naan the next day for lunch (it's actually excellent picnic food) or, as we most often do, freeze it for a quick dinner in a week or two.
Tiamat,
i stuck my leftovers in the food processor with about a 1/4 cup of coconut milk and some chicken stock to thin it out and reheated it as a soup. it was delicious!
I made this last nite for the first time, and it was delicious! Now I'm mad at myself as I just realized I had a huge chunk of ginger root sitting around that would have made a big difference. Also, it smelled so delicious and I lacked the patience to allow it to simmer long enough to really soften the chick peas...but I'm excited about today's leftovers! Yay!
Never use powdered ginger for this it just doesn't cut it. For those adventurous enough to try, you can try using some tamarind paste as well, or a touch of brown sugar to tease out the flavors. A bit of clove and cinnamon also helps but use sparingly.
If you can find black chickpeas (also known as kala chana), this recipe achieves a new level of earthiness. If you use black chickpeas, also look into using brown cardamon (its a much larger pod with a smokier taste)
I'm definitely going to try making this. And I know all about Indian food tasting amazingly better the following day. There's a sambar masala recipe I like to make that always tastes like I didn't make it right on the first night. Then come the next day's lunch, heaven!
Made this for dinner last night and it was spot on. I aslo used fresh ginger and a Tbs of brown sugar. Liked it whithout the yogurt but then tried it today with a few Tbs of greek yogurt. This is now my go-to pantry staple which is nice since the summer pesto will be gone before I know it.
p.s. had to share my newest kitchen trick: Frozen ginger. Just put the nub in the freezer and then grate it with a microplane when you need it. No more forgotten shriveled nubs of ginger!
I made this last night for dinner (a double batch, some for leftovers today and some for the freezer) and it was absolutely delicious! It tasted even better today, went perfectly with a dollop of greek yogurt. Just be certain to remove all of the cardamom pods, I couldn't find two of them at the end of cooking but I certainly knew where they were when I cracked then between my teeth. Yuck!
I've not tried the Orangette one referred to here, but Smitten Kitchen has a great version that I make quite often: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/