Folks, I discovered something -- when you actually listen to the doctor and stay off your foot when you're injured, YOU ACTUALLY HEAL FASTER. Yeah, you're thinking, "It took you nearly 28 years to figure that out?" But, let's be honest folks, runners are the worst at heeding medical advice. Anyway, I am doing a lot better now -- I'm nearly walking normally; probably still can't run for a few weeks, but progress is progress.
Anyway, earlier this week, I wanted to cook something nice for Joe and my roommate to thank them for (a) putting up with my mopey mood and (b) helping me out in my gimpy state the first few days after my injury. At the same time, I wanted to avoid standing up for long periods of time and risk bearing too much weight on my right ankle. I decided on making a simple but comforting chickpea soup, often called "chana masala." In Bengali cuisine, we have a similar dal soup we call "ghugni," which is essentially used interchangeably with "chana masala," but it actually uses a slightly different lentil than chickpeas.
The reason I crave chana masala in the winter (which in Atlanta, we have had virtually none of this year) is that it is thick, spicy, and hearty. I season my dal heavily with ginger because it just screams comfort. Whenever I want to just crawl into my covers because of the weather or I feel sick, all I want is ginger. Cold weather or not, though, chana masala is a perfect side dish, main entree, or afternoon snack. It is the kind of meal/dish you might prepare in the morning and leave on the stove for several hours to let the flavors marry together. And boy, is it worth the wait. Here's the recipe below.
Ingredients:
-15-25* oz of garbanzo beans**
-1 large roughly chopped tomato
-7-8 cloves of finely chopped garlic
-fresh ginger root (can store as frozen)
-1 small finely chopped onion
-fresh cilantro
-1 cinnamon stick
-6-7 cloves
-4-5 cardamoms
-1 teaspoon turmeric powder
-salt/pepper
-crushed red pepper
-ghee
*Obviously, not exact measurements. Used your best judgment on how much you want to prepare.
**Canned garbanzo beans are pre-cooked, so it takes less time to make the dish and they do not need to be pre-soaked overnight. Raw garbanzo beans need to be soaked in a bowl of water overnight and will take longer to cook with the other ingredients.
Preparation:
-Garam masala: grind the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamoms in a coffee grinder.
-Fry garlic and onion (save a little for the end, though) with a tablespoon of ghee for a few minutes on medium heat. When they start to turn a little yellow, add the garam masala mix and a teaspoon of turmeric (don't add too much -- if you do, your food will turn out really bitter).
-Stir and sautee for a few minutes, then add the chopped tomato.
-Stir the mix for about 2-3 minutes, then add the chickpeas and add the same amount of water (if you add a 15 oz can of chickpeas, add about 15 oz of water).
-Add a healthy amount of grated ginger to the pot (maybe about a handful), salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.
-Cover pot, cook on high heat, allow mixture to boil, then let simmer on medium or medium-low.
-I personally like to add a teaspoon of ghee to the dal after it's done boiling to add a bit more creaminess/sweetness.
-Leave on stove covered for at least an hour to an hour and a half to let the flavors come together. Note: If you used raw chickpeas, leave on stove for longer (I'd recommend about 4 hours).
-Check the flavors about half an hour before you feel like the dal is done cooking. Add anything you might find missing; I generally adjust salt and ginger levels at this point.
-Serve while hot, topped with a generous amount of fresh cilantro and a few pieces of raw onion.
Enjoy!
Anyway, earlier this week, I wanted to cook something nice for Joe and my roommate to thank them for (a) putting up with my mopey mood and (b) helping me out in my gimpy state the first few days after my injury. At the same time, I wanted to avoid standing up for long periods of time and risk bearing too much weight on my right ankle. I decided on making a simple but comforting chickpea soup, often called "chana masala." In Bengali cuisine, we have a similar dal soup we call "ghugni," which is essentially used interchangeably with "chana masala," but it actually uses a slightly different lentil than chickpeas.
The reason I crave chana masala in the winter (which in Atlanta, we have had virtually none of this year) is that it is thick, spicy, and hearty. I season my dal heavily with ginger because it just screams comfort. Whenever I want to just crawl into my covers because of the weather or I feel sick, all I want is ginger. Cold weather or not, though, chana masala is a perfect side dish, main entree, or afternoon snack. It is the kind of meal/dish you might prepare in the morning and leave on the stove for several hours to let the flavors marry together. And boy, is it worth the wait. Here's the recipe below.
 |
| Spicy, chunky, wholesome chana masala. |
Ingredients:
-15-25* oz of garbanzo beans**
-1 large roughly chopped tomato
-7-8 cloves of finely chopped garlic
-fresh ginger root (can store as frozen)
-1 small finely chopped onion
-fresh cilantro
-1 cinnamon stick
-6-7 cloves
-4-5 cardamoms
-1 teaspoon turmeric powder
-salt/pepper
-crushed red pepper
-ghee
*Obviously, not exact measurements. Used your best judgment on how much you want to prepare.
**Canned garbanzo beans are pre-cooked, so it takes less time to make the dish and they do not need to be pre-soaked overnight. Raw garbanzo beans need to be soaked in a bowl of water overnight and will take longer to cook with the other ingredients.
Preparation:
-Garam masala: grind the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamoms in a coffee grinder.
-Fry garlic and onion (save a little for the end, though) with a tablespoon of ghee for a few minutes on medium heat. When they start to turn a little yellow, add the garam masala mix and a teaspoon of turmeric (don't add too much -- if you do, your food will turn out really bitter).
-Stir and sautee for a few minutes, then add the chopped tomato.
-Stir the mix for about 2-3 minutes, then add the chickpeas and add the same amount of water (if you add a 15 oz can of chickpeas, add about 15 oz of water).
-Add a healthy amount of grated ginger to the pot (maybe about a handful), salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.
-Cover pot, cook on high heat, allow mixture to boil, then let simmer on medium or medium-low.
-I personally like to add a teaspoon of ghee to the dal after it's done boiling to add a bit more creaminess/sweetness.
-Leave on stove covered for at least an hour to an hour and a half to let the flavors come together. Note: If you used raw chickpeas, leave on stove for longer (I'd recommend about 4 hours).
-Check the flavors about half an hour before you feel like the dal is done cooking. Add anything you might find missing; I generally adjust salt and ginger levels at this point.
-Serve while hot, topped with a generous amount of fresh cilantro and a few pieces of raw onion.
Enjoy!
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