Chick Pea Curry
The aroma of this chick pea stew will fill your house with warm spices and your family will eagerly await dinner. This gluten free / vegan recipe is perfect for a meatless meal and can be served over brown rice or basmati rice.
Traditional curry is very spicy and somewhere in India, there's a MAji (Mother) complaining to her daughter that this recipe has no heat. I think the spice of a dish is a personal thing. If you like spicy food by all means, bring the heat. I can't handle the the fires of hell heat but I do enjoy the flavors of India. The blend of these spices will bring some heat but if you want more, I'll note the addition in the spice section.
Curry is considered to be a healthy meal and this recipe has no additional salt added. Turmeric, cumin, and coriander, the three main ingredients of most curries , are known to be anti-inflammatory and naturally cleansing agents that strengthen and detoxify our bodies. Most curry that you order in restaurants have a lot of sodium (salt) added and cooked with unhealthy fats (lard). This quick recipe can be made with a healthy oil and can be on the table within 30 minutes.
This is my best friend, Jeanne-Bean's recipe that I modified thru the years. The original called for very expensive spices. I found the Mc Cormick Moroccan Spice Blend was affordable and had all the spices I needed to make curry, in one jar. I have to give her credit, this Italian girl never had curry before and now I can make it like a pro.
Let's get cooking, you'll need:
1 can chick peas (garbanzos) 15 oz. rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
4 cloves of garlic -minced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1 medium carrot - diced small
1 medium onion - diced small
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 corrainder
3/4 tsp Mc Cormick Moroccan Spice Blend
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Most recipes I estimate the spices and throw them in the pot. Curry is like baking, the measurements must be exact or one spice will over power another. I like to measure out my spices then add them to the oil all at once. Of course, I don't label them when I make this for myself, but I wanted you to see what the spices look like and the amount used. That might be fun, just once, to leave the tags in the curry. Kinda like the "Kings Cake" if you find the plastic baby, you win!
In a shallow non stick pan, heat the oil and add all the dry spices. By frying the spices you wake up the flavors and allow them to release their aromas. Fry the spices for 30 secs, watch they don't burn, but you want to hear them sizzle. Add the onion and the garlic and stir well.
Add the chick peas, vegetable stock and tomatoes and simmer (uncovered) for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. The curry will thicken as it cooks.
I put the rice in the middle of the dish and the curry around the rice. This would be wonderful with a warm naan flat bread. This curry freezes well in air tight containers and will stay in your refrigerator for a few days.