Here’s a delicious recipe from my friend Amee Shah Meghani, who runs her own food blog at Rabbit Food Rocks focusing on how to make relatively simple dishes inspired by Indian and other traditions. What I like about her recipes is that they’re made of mostly plants. Here’s a recipe of hers courtesy of Herbivoracious.
The recipe is also posted here courtesy of Amee! (Just click on "Read More" below.)
The recipe is also posted here courtesy of Amee! (Just click on "Read More" below.)
Aside: Amee is giving a free copy of two books, including “The Healthy Indian Diet,” on her website. Click here to learn how to enter.
This is a spicy and hearty bean dish served with flatbread or naan. You can
pair it with rice for a complete protein meal. This dish is often accompanied by
a yogurt-based soup called kadhi, which is a perfect complement to this dish.
Black chickpeas have a tough skin and are a very dense bean, so soaking
overnight is a must.
Kala Chana (Black Chickpea Curry)
Serves 2-3
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free
1 cup dry black chickpeas
1 teaspoon
baking soda
7 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
4 dried chilies (Indian dried red chilis – if not available, chile de arbol would
probably work well)
3 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste*
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced in the food processor (pulse well, just before it releases liquid)
2 roma tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or more/less to
taste) (cayenne is an ok substitute)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (optional)
* Ginger garlic paste is 1:1 puree of ginger and garlic, but you can substitute 1″ grated ginger plus 5 cloves garlic crushed and finely diced.
(Without a pressure cooker, skip steps 1-3 and do this instead: soak the beans overnight and then rinse and replace the water and cook on medium heat in a medium pot for an hour and 15 mins. Make sure water level is at least 1″ above the beans at all times.)
1. Soak the beans with the baking soda in 3 cups water overnight. Drain water.
2. Fill the pressure cooker with the soaked beans, add 4 cups of fresh water. Add the salt to the water, and pressure cook for 3 whistles (12 minutes).
3. Turn off the heat but do not open the pressure cooker.
4. After 45 mins or later, open the pressure cooker and drain the beans.
5. Heat canola oil in a wide saute pan or wok (pan should be at least 3″ deep) on med-high heat. Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, chilies, cloves,and cinnamon stick. Fry for about 1 to 2 mins until fragrant but not burned. Add onions to the pan and cook for 4-5 mins or until onions soften and become translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste (or substitute) and cook for 1-2 mins.
6. Add tomatoes to the pan, stir well, and then add coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili powder.
7. Cook for 5 minutes, mixing well. Add garam masala and beans. Cover and simmer on low for 20 mins,
stirring occasionally.
8. Turn off heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve over rice, or with flatbread, parathas, or naan.
This is a spicy and hearty bean dish served with flatbread or naan. You can
pair it with rice for a complete protein meal. This dish is often accompanied by
a yogurt-based soup called kadhi, which is a perfect complement to this dish.
Black chickpeas have a tough skin and are a very dense bean, so soaking
overnight is a must.
Kala Chana (Black Chickpea Curry)
Serves 2-3
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free
1 cup dry black chickpeas
1 teaspoon
baking soda
7 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
4 dried chilies (Indian dried red chilis – if not available, chile de arbol would
probably work well)
3 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste*
1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced in the food processor (pulse well, just before it releases liquid)
2 roma tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or more/less to
taste) (cayenne is an ok substitute)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (optional)
* Ginger garlic paste is 1:1 puree of ginger and garlic, but you can substitute 1″ grated ginger plus 5 cloves garlic crushed and finely diced.
(Without a pressure cooker, skip steps 1-3 and do this instead: soak the beans overnight and then rinse and replace the water and cook on medium heat in a medium pot for an hour and 15 mins. Make sure water level is at least 1″ above the beans at all times.)
1. Soak the beans with the baking soda in 3 cups water overnight. Drain water.
2. Fill the pressure cooker with the soaked beans, add 4 cups of fresh water. Add the salt to the water, and pressure cook for 3 whistles (12 minutes).
3. Turn off the heat but do not open the pressure cooker.
4. After 45 mins or later, open the pressure cooker and drain the beans.
5. Heat canola oil in a wide saute pan or wok (pan should be at least 3″ deep) on med-high heat. Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, chilies, cloves,and cinnamon stick. Fry for about 1 to 2 mins until fragrant but not burned. Add onions to the pan and cook for 4-5 mins or until onions soften and become translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste (or substitute) and cook for 1-2 mins.
6. Add tomatoes to the pan, stir well, and then add coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili powder.
7. Cook for 5 minutes, mixing well. Add garam masala and beans. Cover and simmer on low for 20 mins,
stirring occasionally.
8. Turn off heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve over rice, or with flatbread, parathas, or naan.
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