Channa Masala

Ohhhhh how I love Channa Masala. It's involved with my somewhat unnatural love of chickpeas and basmati rice; two of my favorite things. The fact that they're both dirt cheap to buy is just a boost. I found a recipe with pictures online that I used the first time to make the masala. It's a very basic and easy recipe to use so I've been varying it ever since. Here's my last variation that I did:

Channa Masala:

3 medium potatoes, cut into reasonably bit sized pieces

2 cans chickpeas

1 large onion(don't use a sweet onion here, you'll want the full flavor), sliced into crescents

2 medium/large tomatoes(I would say use something like beefsteak tomatoes; it originally calls for canned tomatoes but I can never actually seem to find ones that don't have citric acid), chopped

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tablespoons minced ginger, fresh

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds*

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2-1 teaspoon cumin(if you have cumin seeds, use 1 tsp of those and add them with the onions)

1 whole dried red chili pepper(you could use around 1/4 tsp of ground cayenne instead if you have that; just do it to taste)

1/4 cup golden raisins(optional, and thompson raisins work just as well)

Basmati rice

1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds in the pot(use a large one) for a minute or two; this will help reduce bitterness.

2. Add in the olive oil, onion, ginger, and garlic and fry until the onions are lightly browned. Add in the tomatoes and cook for around five minutes(try to break down the tomatoes a bit).

3. Put in the salt, garam masala, coriander, turmeric, the chili pepper(crush it in your hands but don't make the mistake and touch your face until you've washed your hands. Warm to say the least) and cumin(unless you added the seeds, of course). Mix well and add the potatoes; stir until the potatoes are all well coated with the spices and then add three cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Wash the chickpeas well in a colander and add to the mixture. Add the raisins at this point as well if you want; they help mellow out the harsher flavor of the spices and puts in a nice sweet surprise every once in a while.

5. Bring to a boil and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot on basmati rice.

*I never really realized how useful these seeds are until I read about how to properly use them. They are used in cooking for their flavor, are components in artificial maple syrup and vanillas, can be made into a tea, and apparently are supposed to help women lactate. Don't be afraid of it's bitterness; the flavors that can be done with this are extraordinary(most spices are bitter initially anyway. If you don't believe me go to your spice cabinet and try tasting them. You'll see what I mean fairly soon). I think I'm going to try to find a way of making the tea to see how it is though.