Indian Style Chick Peas

Thanks to Stuti Jhunjhunwala for teaching me how to make this staple Indian food!  Stuti has such a simple method for cooking this recipe, and its packed with tons of flavor! 

For anyone trying to learn some basic Indian recipes, I'd say this is a pretty good one to start with.  It doesn't require too many different ingredients and though it takes some time, the method is straightforward.  All you aspiring Indian chefs - be brave and give this recipe a try!

This recipe can be served with some sort of Indian bread (chapati, naan, paratha, puris, baturas etc.) or rice.  I like to scoop up the chick peas with a chapati instead of eating them with rice.  But that's of course, my personal opinion!

Indian Style Chick Peas
Makes approximately 8 servings as part of a meal

Ingredients
2 and 1/4 cups of dried chick peas, washed and soaked for 24hrs in water OR 3 15oz/425g cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 large onion
3 birds eye chilis (or some other medium hot chili, like a serrano pepper to taste)
6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp grated ginger
3/4 can tomato paste (about 4.5oz)
2 tbsp MDH chana masala mix (available at most Indian supermarkets)
1/2 lemon or lime (optional)
More salt to taste

Directions

1. After soaking the chick peas, cook them until tender with turmeric and salt (a pressure cooker is the fastest method if you have a pressure cooker that is safe for beans, or they can be simmered for 1-2hrs), OR, place drained and rinsed canned chick peas in a bowl with turmeric and salt. 
2. Place onions, chilis and garlic into a chopper and process until they are very finely chopped.  If you don't have a chopper, use a large chef's knife to get to a finely chopped consistency.  
3. Heat oil in a large non-stick pan.  Add cumin seeds and allow them to brown for a minute (they should sizzle a little and be fragrant).    

1. Add the onions, chilis, garlic and ginger.  Allow them to cook until they are starting to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan (approximately 10-15 minutes on medium heat).  

1. Add the tomato paste.  Continually stir for approximately 3-4 minutes. 

1. Add the chick peas and the water they were cooked in, and the chana masala mix and stir well.  If you are using canned chick peas instead, add 2 cups of water to the pan.   

1.  Simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is nice and thick.  Adjust the spiciness with the lime or lemon juice, and adjust the salt according to taste.