Kitchen Sink Chana Masala

I absolutely love Indian food, and although I’ve tried a lot of different Indian dishes, 9 times out of 10 I order the exact same thing – chana masala. Why? Because it is sooooo delicious. I have however never attempted to make my own version of it, possibly because I just don’t want to mess with perfection, BUT today when I was cleaning out my fridge I realized I needed to use up some chickpeas and ginger before they went bad and I thought, “to hell with it! I can try a chana masala recipe” – and then I realized I have about zero percent of the fresh raw spices and seeds you need, and missing one of the main spices, garam masala, entirely. Undaunted, I decided I’d use the pre-ground spices that I do have. Aaaand make a few other changes to the recipe so I can use up the crushed tomatoes, mixed beans, coconut milk, and jalepeno pepper in my fridge. Thus the title: Kitchen Sink Chana Masala – as in, everything but the kitchen sink – quick and easy, not so accurate, but still scrumptious. Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated or diced ginger
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups chickpeas (and/or mixed beans) cooked
• ½ a jalepeno pepper (or any hot pepper), chopped
• 2 tsp cardamom (or garam masala if you have it)
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp curry powder

  Directions:

1. Sauté the onion, ginger, jalepeno, and garlic in olive oil, stirring often
2. Add in all the spices and cook for another minute
3. Add in the crushed tomatoes and coconut milk, stirring often for about 2 minutes
4. Add in the chickpeas and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes
5. Serve over a bed of rice, with some naan, or on its own, and enjoy!

There are a LOT of chana masala recipes out there, and I’m sure that they are just as tasty if not more so, and far more traditional than this one – my aim with this recipe was to use up ingredients in my fridge, and have a quick easy meal that is still delicious. Feel free to make your own substitutions; fresh diced tomatoes instead of canned crushed ones, add in additional spices or take some out, or cut out the coconut milk – and let me know how you liked the recipe, should I keep experimenting with food, or stick to the script?