Tags
cauliflower, chana, chickpeas, chole, cilantro, curry, GF, ghee, gluten free, indian, makes house smell good, masala, rainy, raita, rice, simmer, tomatoes, warm, wine, yogurt
Meatless Monday Tuesday
Since it was still drizzly outside yesterday, I was in the mood for something that would simmer away all afternoon and make my house smell warm & exotic. I also REALLY did not want to leave my house and go out in the rain. So, pantry diving I went and Chole Masala emerged.
Served with curry roasted cauliflower, brown basmati rice, raita, + fresh cilantro; my goals were met and my house still smells warm + exotic this morning.
Chole Masala (aka Chana Masala)
- 2 tablespoons ghee (if you don’t have ghee, use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, diced (I used red yesterday because that’s what I had – yellow would work too
- 4 teaspoons peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger (from about a 2-inch piece)
- 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, stemmed and finely chopped (I seeded mine so the kids would eat it – leave the seeds in if you want it a little spicier)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced organic tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
Chop onion, ginger, garlic, & jalapeño and put in bowl together with a pinch of kosher salt.
Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat until fully melted. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeño and season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the chickpeas and measure garam masala, coriander, measured salt, & turmeric into a small bowl or ramekin.
When the onions have softened, add the spices to the frying pan and stir to coat the onion mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, the chickpeas, and the water. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Alternately, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot, and allow to simmer away all afternoon so your house gets happy smelling.
Serve over rice.
Curry Roasted Califlower
- 2 heads organic cauliflower, cut into bit sized florets
- 4 T oil (I used a combination of rice bran oil and olive oil)
- 2 T curry powder (I used trader joes brand)
- 2 T kosher salt
Preheat oven to 450. Prepare 2 large jelly roll pans with parchment paper. In large bowl, toss cauliflower florets with oil, curry and salt. Divide cauliflower onto to jelly roll pans. Roast 20-30 minutes, tossing once, until fully cooked and beginning to brown on all sides. The brown crunchy bits are the best.
Here’s how it looked before going into the oven:
Raita (not traditional, but tasty)
- 1 cup greek yogurt (I used TJs organic 0% fat Greek)
- 1 small persian cucumber
- 1/2 t curry powder
- 1/2 t kosher salt
In bowl, combine yogurt, curry powder and salt. Using the small holes, grate cucumber (and skin) into yogurt. Stir to combine.
A note about Trader Joes’ organic brown basmati rice: it tastes like cardboard. That is all.
And a quick FYI: my boys are planning a restaurant night at our house. Here is the menu they presented. (Phew! No prices. My sister and I used to do this and CHARGE my parents.) Anyway, this will be my dinner one night very soon.
And in case you’re having a hard time deciphering the bottom right (apel siter) it means apple cider.
I’m oh so very happy they didn’t forget to offer wine.