January is a great month to hone your cooking skills, get back to basics in the kitchen and liven up your dinner times by trying a delicious new recipe from that cookbook sitting on your shelf!
However, for those of use who made resolutions for the New Year (I know, resolutions are so 2001 but we still make them anyway!), you may be spending extra time towards new activities like scuba diving lessons or learning to salsa dance or following a new fitness regimen.
We all want to get better at life with each passing calendar year, right?! But keeping up with our busy new “activities” can sometimes leave us without enough time to properly nourish our bodies.
I make this 10-minute Channa Masala when I need dinner on the table in a hurry. All ingredients are basic and should be in your pantry.
I hope this recipe can find its way into your repertoire of healthy and quick dinners!
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Arvinda’s 10-minute Channa Masala
I almost never use beans from a can, so if you prefer using dried beans my suggestion is to boil a huge batch and freeze some for future use. I find the texture is a bit different, but it saves time when you’re in a bind. Kids will love this recipe too! Try using leftovers stuffed into a pita pocket for a quick lunch.
P.S. throw in some spinach to get in your greens!
Ingredients:
2 cups chick peas, canned
1 tbsp. oil
2 each whole spices from Arvinda’s Whole Spices {cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, peppercorns, cloves and star anise}
¼ cup ground OR crushed tomatoes, canned (unsalted)
1 ½ tbsp. Arvinda’s Madras Masala
1 cup water
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. sea salt, OR salt to taste
2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped, to garnish (optional)
½ tsp. Arvinda’s Garam Masala, to garnish (optional)
Method: Rinse chickpeas and drain. Set aside. In a medium-sized pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add Arvinda’s Whole Spices (cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves and star anise). Fry for one minute taking care not to burn.
Add ground tomatoes and cook for one minute. Stir in Arvinda’s Madras Masala to make a paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in cooked chickpeas and add water to make a thick sauce. Add sugar and salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve in a serving dish and garnish with Arvinda’s Garam Masala and cilantro. Serve with basmati rice or flatbread and salad to make a healthy, well-balanced meal.
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Enjoy your January activities!
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
– Pablo Picasso
A teaspoon of: DLG y Eddie Santiago. Listening to: Que Locura Enamorarme de Ti.
One of my utter favourites in Indian cuisine 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru