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Chana Masala Curry

cumbenhower — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:10:18 +0000

Here is a delicious and easy to make curry. It has been a big hit at many events and I have shared it with many people who have asked for the recipe after they tasted it. It is simply made with canned garbanzo beans (although you can soak your own if you wish) and can be eaten over rice or with Nan.

I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 medium onion
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic
fresh chili peppers to taste
several tablespoons water
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 cans (15 ½ ounces each) garbanzo beans
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Directions

Blend onion, ginger, garlic and chili peppers and a few tablespoons of water into a paste.
Heat oil, add paste from blender, reduce heat to medium and cook until golden brown (30-45 seconds if pot and oil are hot).

Add coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and cumin to mixture, and fry 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly so ingredients are well mixed.
Add garbanzo beans and mix so beans are well saturated with spice mixture. Add chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Depending on how thick you want your curry, slowly add water accordingly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.

Cook 10 minutes over medium heat.
Add balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Stir well, reduce heat to low and cook 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.
Makes 6 servings

Nutritional value per serving: Calories 203.1, Total Fat 6.3 g (Saturated Fat 0.5 g), Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 363.6 mg, Carbohydrate 31.4 g, Dietary Fiber 6.2 g, Protein 6.5 g

World’s Hottest Chilie?

cumbenhower — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:03:55 +0000

The Bhut Jalokia pepper from Assam, in Northeastern India is one hot pepper!!! My sister got a few from a friend who could not finish them (he had literally brought them from Assam when he came over) and when he went back to india he gave them to her. I personally love hot peppers and put them on everything but this one takes the cake. Holy moly! You don’t feel the bite immediately and it really suckers you in. I thought my brain was on fire. This pepper is in the Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper at over 1 Million scoville units, 3 times hotter than the haberneros.

Bon appetit magazine suggested throwing in a pepper (uncut) into rice when you cook it and it adds a lovely smoky flavor and warmth. Sounds pretty interesting - I am planning on trying this out and will update you with the results.

Since I am from the Northeastern part of India, specifically from the neighboring state of Meghalaya, I am going to work with some of the local farmers and exporters when I go back this year and I will for sure have it available as part of my Deity Diet Mall. I know soooo many people who love hot and spicy and it should keep them happy for a while.

Although, being that it is so hot, I would caution anyone who eats it to be very careful as it does have quite a sting!

Next post – what are the medicinal benefits of these peppers? Why is it so hard to grow them here?