Savory Chickpeas in tangy tomato Glaze

Soaking time: 8 hours or overnight

Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 10 minutes

Cooking time: 2-3 hours or 30-40 minutes in a pressure cooker
 

Ingredients

• Dried chickpeas – 1 ¼ cups (235 g) 

• Water (4 cups/1 liter if pressure-cooked) – 5 ½ cups (1.3 liters) 

• Ghee or peanut oil – 5 tablespoons (75 ml) 

• Scraped, minced fresh ginger root – 1 ½ teaspoons (7 ml) 

• Minced hot green chili (or as desired) – 1 ½ teaspoons (7 ml) 

• Cumin seeds – 1 ½ teaspoon (7 ml) 

• Black mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon (2 ml) 

• Small curry leaves, preferably fresh – 8 -12 

• Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced – 5 medium-sized 

• Turmeric – 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 

• Chat masala or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice – 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 

• Garam masala – 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 

• Minced fresh parsley or coarsely chopped coriander leaves – ¼ cup (60 ml) 

• Salt – 1 ¼ teaspoons (6 ml) 

• Lemons or lime twists for garnishing – 6 

 

Preparation

1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl, add 5 ½ cups (1.3 liters) of water and soak for at least 8 hours or overnight at room temperature.

2. Place the chickpeas and their soaking liquid in a heavy 3-4-quart/liter saucepan, add a dab of ghee or oil and bring to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and gently boil for 2-3 hours or until the chickpeas are butter-soft but not broken down. For pressure cooking, combine the ingredients in a 6-quart/liter pressure cooker, cover and cook under pressure for 30 minutes. Remove the lid. Drain the chickpeas, saving the cooking liquid.

3. Heat 3 table spoons (45 ml) of ghee or oil in a heavy 3-quart/liter nonstick saucepan over moderate to moderately high heat. When it is hot, stir in the ginger root, green chili, cumin seeds and black mustard seeds. Fry until the cumin seeds turn brown.

4. Drop in the curry leaves, and just 1-2 seconds later stir in the tomatoes. Add the turmeric, chat masala, garam masala, and half of the minced herb. Stir-fry over moderate heat, adding sprinkles of water when necessary, for 3-5 minutes or until the ghee or oil separates from the sauce and the texture is smooth and even.

5. Add the chickpeas and ¼ cup (60 ml) of the saved cooking liquid. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add small quantities of the cooking water to keep the mixture from sticking to the saucepan.

6. Remove from the heat and add the salt, the remaining ghee or oil and the remaining minced herb. Garnish each portion with a twist of lemon or lime.
 

Serves
6
 

By Yamuna Devi Dasi