Vegetarian Chana Masala Recipe – 50 Women Game Changers In Food – Molly Wizenberg

Now that my oldest son is off to college, dinners have been a lot different around our house. You see, my other boys have a more diverse palate. They like trying different ethnic cuisines, like Indian, Jamaican, and Thai, and do not mind vegetarian meals. In fact, they love that I make rice and beans and have it for Requested A Dinner at least once week. Chana Masala Masala or Chick Pea Vegetarian bean dish I had never made ​​before is A, but I had it Like A feeling my Boys would - they like Indian food a lot.  

I used to be intimidated by the thought of cooking Indian food, and would only eat it when I went out to a restaurant. The spice combinations seemed so exotic, and I was sure it would be too complicated to make at home. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to take a few Indian cooking classes from a local Indian woman several years ago, who introduced the spices most common in Indian recipes - cumin seeds, mustard seeds, ground coriander, cardamon pods, cloves, garam masala, cinnamon sticks, turmeric, cayenne, and curry leaves in addition to onions, garlic, ginger and cilantro. She had a little round tin with individual containers holding all her dried Indian spices.

After recreating the dishes from these cooking classes at home, I went on to expand my Indian cooking repertoire, buying a few Indian cookbooks and shopping at local Indian supermarkets. I used to wander up and down the aisles looking at all the strange ingredients in the Indian market, not knowing what was what. Now, I can peruse the aisles at the new mega Indian supermarket nearby without looking completely clueless.

Indian cuisine provides a whole host of possibilities for vegetarians, using all different types of lentils, and in this case, chickpeas. I never knew there were so many different kinds of lentils. This Trick to the Chana Masala dish is the flavor you get from Deep Rich Onions sauteing slowly until they are the A Crispy Deep brown color and have some brown bits around their Edges.  

Then garlic and ginger puree are added, along with Indian curry spices - cumin, coriander, garam masala, cardamon, cayenne, and cilantro.

I happened to have a bag of dried chickpeas in my pantry so I cooked my own chickpeas instead of using canned. It's super easy - simply soak the chickpeas in water overnight; then, cook in a pot with water to cover for about 30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender. To go along with This Chana Masala , I made ​​Cumin Scented Brown Rice, and broccoli with Toasted Garlic , A Satisfying meatless meal.  

This week, Molly Wizenberg A GROUP of bloggers is Celebrating, One of the 50 Women Game Changers in Food . Molly is the VOICE behind Orangette , A Blog circa 2004. She writes conversationally, A Natural and casual in Fashion, Sitting across the table from you as if she's having A cup of COFFEE. Molly says the foods she writes about and photographs help her understand who she is and where she came from. "It's a way of making sense of the world." The senior editor of Simon & Shuster says, "She is artful. She looks at everyday life and she sees something that other people do not see, and she is able to translate that into words - which is not easy. It's a gift. "  

This Chana Masala Recipe One is that Molly's husband, Brandon, makes. I can just picture Molly standing over Brandon's shoulder with pen and paper in hand, scribbling down the recipe. A fun tidbit about Molly and Brandon ... Molly actually MET Brandon through her ​​Blog when he Emailed her, inspired by her French Lemon Yogurt Cake Post ... you never know what A Blog will Land you ... A COOKBOOK, A TV show, or in Molly's Case , a husband.    

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Adapted from Orangette. I did not think the yogurt was necessary, so I just served it as is with Cumin Scented Brown Rice and Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Olive Oil.

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
• A pinch of cayenne, or to taste
• 3 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed (two 15-ounce cans)
• 6-8 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt, optional
• A few lemon wedges, optional

Directions

1. Film the bottom of a large saucepan or Dutch oven-preferably not nonstick-with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots. Be patient. The more color, the more full-flavored the final dish will be.
3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry.
4. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely.
5. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.
6. Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
7. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 2 Tbs water, and cook for another five minutes. Add another 2 Tbs water, and cook until the water is absorbed, a few minutes more. This process of adding and cooking off water helps to concentrate the sauce's flavor and makes the chickpeas more tender and toothsome. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
8. Stir in the yogurt, if you like, or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.