Chana Masala

For this recipe, you can use dried or canned chickpeas. If you use dried, you need to soak them overnight, and if you want them nice and soft, you’re going to need a pressure cooker. Canned chickpeas work just fine, though.

You’ll also need a stick blender or blender.

! important: do not drain the chickpea water!

For the sauce, you’ll need:

• 4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

• 15g ginger roughly chopped

• 1 large onion roughly chopped

Fry these ingredients until browned, then add:

• 6 tomatoes roughly chopped or 1 tin of tomatoes

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• ½ tsp black pepper

Leave to simmer for around 20-30 minutes, then blend all with a stick blender or blender.

While the sauce simmers, you can toast the spices.. you’re effectively making garam masala ingredients without using the powder.

You’ll need:

• 5 cardamom pods

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1½ tsp coriander seeds

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 cloves

• 3 bay leaves

Toast the spices in a dry pan on medium heat until you can smell the aroma. Be careful not to burn them!
Next, add…

• 2 cans of chickpeas or 200g dried chickpeas soaked and cooked

Add the chickpeas to the spices and mix together while frying for a few minutes. Then add…

• Chickpea water from the cans of chickpeas

• 1 cup of black tea (I’m using Yorkshire tea)

• Sauce from earlier

Leave to simmer for 1-2 hours or until the sauce thickens. You need to leave it for at least an hour for the spices to infuse into the sauce.

Eat now, or later as it still tastes great and will last for a few weeks in the freezer. Serve as tacos or with rice!

Stacking the tacos:

• 1 small flour or corn tortilla

• 1 tbsp chickpea mix

• ½ tsp mango chutney

• Raw red onion thinly sliced

• Fresh coriander chopped

Enjoy!