Beans and Bread

I’ve been bitten by the Indian Food bug now… on top of the darn cupcake bug. I feel like I’m making up for all those years that I didn’t eat or make Indian food due to my irrational fear
of it Now, I’m unstoppable! I have an arsenal of beautiful Indian spices, and usually just need to pick up a few ingredients to make any given dish.

Tonight was a (successful!) attempt at channa masala, a traditional vegetarian dish made with chick peas and loved by one of my favorite bloggers.

Not only was it easy, but it was beautiful and delicious!

The recipe comes originally from Madhur Jaffrey, and was found on RecipeZaar.com. I made a couple substitutions: the amchoor powder was replaced with the juice of another half lemon, and the ginger was inadvertently left out.

Channa Masala (Chick Pea Curry)

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* 2 medium onions (peeled and minced)

* 1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)

* 1 tablespoon ground coriander

* 2 teaspoons ground cumin

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

* 6 tablespoons chopped tomatoes

* 1 cup water

* 4 cups cooked chickpeas or
2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

* 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds

* 1 tablespoon amchoor powder

* 2 teaspoons paprika

* 1 teaspoon garam masala

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 lemon (juiced)

* 1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced

* 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.

2. Add onions and garlic and sauté over a medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes).

3. Turn heat to medium-low.

4. Add the coriander, cumin (not the roasted cumin), cayenne and turmeric.

5. Stir for a few seconds.

6. Add the tomatoes.

7. Cook the tomatoes until browned lightly.

8. Add chickpeas and a cup of water and stir.

9. Add the roasted cumin, amchoor, paprika, garam masala, salt and lemon juice.

10. Cook covered for 10 minutes.

11. Remove the cover add the minced chili and ginger.

12. Stir and cook uncovered for 30 seconds.

I served this amazing dish with some (wait for it…) homemade naan! It was SO easy, and even though I don’t have a tandoor oven, a skillet on my stovetop worked nearly as well. I would recommend this recipe in a heartbeat, but I would definitely reduce the flour to 3 3/4 cups to 4 cups. It makes 14 naan (or 12 if you’re like me and mess two up!) I did the process old school in a bowl and kneaded it with my hands, and let me tell you, my arms are SORE!

Homemade Naan

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients

* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

* 1 cup warm water

* 1/4 cup white sugar

* 3 tablespoons milk

* 1 egg, beaten

* 2 teaspoons salt

* 4 1/2 cups bread flour

* 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

* 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

I’m happy, full of beans and bread, and ready to veg out and crash early. 5:30 a.m. comes way too quickly.

 

Tagged as: Baking, Indian, spicy, vegetables, vegetarian