Chana Masala with Carrots, served over brown basmati rice – and Guinness beer
My take on the classic Indian garbanzo bean curry. Carrots are not a traditional ingredients in Chana Masala, but I like the texture, sweetness and color they add. Easy and fast – super low fat – vegan weeknight recipe. This dish is inexpensive, quite filling and is best served with rice and a little fruit. The veggie stock I normally use comes in one-cup portions, so I use a half-cup of water for the remainder of the stock requirement. Have the ingredients chopped and ready to use – this dish comes together quickly and benefits from frequent stirring.
Spice mixture:
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1½ cup vegetable stock (or water, or combination)
1 large tomato, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, quartered-lengthwise, and sliced ¼-inch long
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Juice of one lime
Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, as a garnish (optional)
Basmati rice, brown basmati rice or jasmine rice, as an accompaniment.
Mix the salt, coriander, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and paprika in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a 10-inch skillet (or saute pan) over medium-low heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with the olive oil and saute the onion until soft, about five minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno stir well with the onion and saute for an additional minute. Sprinkle the spices over the onion mixture and stir well to coat. The mixture will seem quite dry at this point. Add the vegetable stock, chopped tomato and carrots; stir well. Bring to a simmer and let the vegetables cook for about five minutes, or until carrots are a bit soft. Stir in the garbanzo beans and ginger. Continue to simmer until carrots are soft and the sauce begins to thicken, an additional five-ten minutes. (Add additional stock or water if you desire a thinner sauce.) Remove from heat, stir-in the lime juice and serve.
With rice, this recipe serves 4.
Wine suggestion: Gin tonic or cold beer.
Also see my very similar, yet different, Chickpea Curry with Cilantro recipe.