Chana Masala Recipe

End of summer Recipe from Perfect Pans

It's been a while since Perfect Pans did a Blog posting as our summer was very busy with several shows. We want to thank everyone who came out to see us and to let you know that our Autumn and Winter show schedule is just as busy and exciting!
 
To see if we will be doing our demonstrations at an exhibition near you, check out our show calendar located here :
PERFECT PANS SHOW SCHEDULE
  
 
We were in the mood for Indian Cuisine tonight so we went for making Chana Masala, a classic Indian dish of chickpeas slow-simmered with onions, tomatoes and spices. Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey, this is delicately spiced bright orange Chana Masala is delicious topped with cooling yogurt or Cumin Seed Crème Fraîche. This recipe requires many different ingredients most which can be purchased at your local supermarket, but to make it authentic you may need to try your local Indian food store.
 
We will be having  it over white rice and with some Coriander Naan on the side.

Yum Yum, hope you enjoy!

Chana Masala
Serves 8

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 fresh hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp amchoor powder (if you can't find this you can use extra lemon juice)
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
15-ounce can whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
6-8 kari leaves for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a Crafond or Perfect Pans Sauté (we recommend 28 cm or even 32 cm depending on how many you are feeding.)

 
Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor, paprika and garam masala.
 
Cook the onion mixture with spices for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.
 
Cover and keep on low heat until ready to serve with a garnish of fresh kari leaves.

Toasted Cumin Seed Crème Fraîche
Makes 1 cup

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 cup Greek yogurt or crème fraîche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Place the cumin in a small frying pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until coarse. Stir it into the yogurt and season with salt and pepper, to taste.