CHANA MASALA
Sorry this recipe is long overdue! I’m not sure what’s going on with time recently, but it’s going much too fast..
January’s been busy so far, (you see, it’s actually February, doh!). Flaming Flamingo teamed up with the wonderful Emmy Lopes to host our first Yoga Brunch. We left feeling warm and glowing after having hosted gorgeous guests and had such amazing feedback. The menu was all plant based so I was even more aware I needed to satisfy everybody, and I did, our guests loved it! We held it at the beautiful Reva Studio, a little Oasis just off Broadway Market, Hackney.
Then of course the dreaded tax return came and boggled my mind. But now, I’m getting all the last minute planning done for our trip to Asia in a few days. Yes! At last.
I’m sure I’ll come back brimming with inspiration and overloaded with goodies. You can keep an eye on what me and Mem get up to on Instagram.
Straight back from that we’ll be hosting a supper club back at e5 bakehouse! You can enjoy a plant based feast, nestled amongst the mills and big bags of flour, with a special twist on the night. Take a look at on our Grubclub event page for more information and tickets.
Until then, here’s my recipe for Chana masala, not 100% authentic, I’m not going to lie, I added coconut milk. It just makes it so creamy, rich and delicious, and an extra depth.
Chana Masala
250g dried chickpeas,
soaked overnight & cooked until tender or a 400g tin
2tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion, sliced
50g ginger
50g garlic
30g fresh turmeric or 1 tsp ground
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground chilli powder
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tomato, chopped
400g tin coconut milk
approx. 400g water
3 Indian green chilies
bunch coriander to finish
Heat a deep pan, add the oil and then onions. Cook on a medium low heat for about 10 minutes until the onions become very soft, but before they brown. Grate in the ginger, garlic and turmeric (a microplane is ideal for this).
Cook for another minute and add your spices, stir them through, add your chopped tomato, cook for another minute, add chickpeas, coconut milk, water and plenty of seasoning. Slice the green chillies from just below the stem, in half lengthways, add to the curry.
Simmer with lid on for about an hour, checking to see it doesn’t become too dry and adding more water if needed.
If you’re in a rush you could cook for less time but I think it gets richer, more flavourful and more tender the longer you leave the curry on the stove.
Taste for seasoning, and finish with chopped coriander.
You can serve with rice, Indian breads, an assortment of veg and chutneys for a real spread. Or for a simple dinner, just cook some extra greens!
I made a hot green sauce to spice it up a little. For this I used a mixture of coriander, mint, green chilli, lime juice, thumb of ginger, clove of garlic, splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, simply blend it all up.