Channa Masala

So after my not so pleasant Vegetable Curry effort I figured I should go ahead and restore my faith in Madhur Jaffrey. I made this recipe once before with disastrous results, completely my fault. As you can see the recipe calls for a green chile, well when I first made it I didn’t have any green chiles but I did have scotch bonnet peppers. So I went ahead and used a WHOLE scotch bonnet. BIGGEST mistake ever. The dish was so spicy I could NOT eat it. I think I ate about a pound of rice to compensate for the hotness.

This time around I was much smarter. And was much happier with the results.

I followed the recipe for the most part except that I used more tomato and skipped the amchoor powder. And I used dried chickpeas. It was fabulous! It reminded me of those cheapy Indian restaurants on 6th Street that I used to go to in New York. It had the right blend of spiciness. The only thing I would change is the sauciness level. I need more sauce! I love when I have leftover sauce that I can sop up with rice or some naan.

I found the recipe here on RecipeZaar . The author mentions that he/she adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe. Not sure how many liberties they took but I love this recipe.

1	tablespoon vegetable oil
2	medium onions (peeled and minced)
1	clove garlic (peeled and minced)
1	tablespoon ground coriander
2	teaspoons ground cumin
1/2	teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1	teaspoon ground turmeric
6	tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1	cup water
4	cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2	teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds
1	tablespoon amchoor powder
2	teaspoons paprika
1	teaspoon garam masala
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/2	lemon (juiced)
1	fresh, hot green chili pepper (, , minced)
2	teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Add onions and garlic and sauté over a medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes).
3. Turn heat to medium-low.
4. Add the coriander, cumin (not the roasted cumin), cayenne and turmeric.
5. Stir for a few seconds.
6. Add the tomatoes.
7. Cook the tomatoes until browned lightly.
8. Add chickpeas and a cup of water and stir.
9. Add the roasted cumin, amchoor, paprika, garam masala, salt and lemon juice.
10. Cook covered for 10 minutes.
11. Remove the cover add the minced chili and ginger.
12. Stir and cook uncovered for 30 seconds.

From RecipeZaar