As is always my aspiration, this version of Chana Masala seeks to be simple and flexible and comes with the disclaimer that I am experimenting outside of my culture here, so I don’t pretend to represent the following recipe as authentic Indian cuisine! It’s chicana hands here, in southern California, appreciating the Indian traditions that trickle down and expand my world. That said, I invite you to use up this week’s Swiss chard and last week’s leftover tomatoes to make this yummy, nourishing dish. Note: it goes great over rice, so plan ahead for that.
INGREDIENTS
3 to 4 cups cooked garbanzos a.k.a. chickpeas (1 cup dry garbanzo makes 3 cups cooked and it takes a couple of hours to cook up a pot of garbanzos. Just put the dried garbanzos in a pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat so it simmers away. You know they’re done when you taste one and it’s cooked through and not chalky or crumbly)
1 onion (if it’s really small, then go with 1 and a half or two. And yes, you can sub in your bunch of green onions here!), chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbs garam masala powder or substitute with curry powder if that’s what you’ve got
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbs coriander
2 tbs fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp salt or 1 cube of veggie broth diluted in a 1/4 cup water
2 to 3 large tomatoes (or 2 to 3 cups cherry tomatoes—measure first then chop), chopped
1/2 of a large bunch of swiss chard, finely chopped
1 to 2 tbs lemon juice
fresh chile (optional, leave it out or on the side if you’re going for a kid-friendly dish)
cilantro and/or microgreens
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Saute onion for a few minutes, until translucent and a bit browned.
Add garlic and spices (garam masala or curry powder, turmeric, coriander and ginger) and sauté for another minute. If you know you want it spicy, then you could add the chile here.
Add the garbanzos and saute for a minute or two.
Add the tomato and salt or veggie broth and saute for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the chard, cover and let it cook for another minute.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice & add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over rice, top with cilantro and/or microgreens and enjoy!