← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 2 cans tins of chickpeas (400 g each), drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Bay leaves
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 Green chilli, slit lengthways
• 4 cloves Garlic, finely grated
• 3 cm piece Ginger, finely grated
• 300 g Tomato, finely chopped or blended
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp Ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Amchur (dried mango powder) (optional)
• 1 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) (optional)
• 300 ml hot water
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• 3 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the onions and green chilli and cook, stirring often, for 10–12 min until deep golden. This browning is where most of the flavour comes from, so don’t rush it.
3. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and salt. Cook for 8–10 min, until the mixture is jammy and oil starts to shine at the edges.
4. Lower the heat and add the turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander and cumin. Stir for 1 minute so the spices toast without burning; splash in a little water if they catch.
5. Tip in the chickpeas and hot water. Simmer for 15 min, lightly crushing a few chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy.
6. Stir in the garam masala, amchur and crushed kasuri methi. Taste, adjust the salt and add lemon juice if you want more tang. Finish with coriander and serve with rice, roti or bhatura.

Tips

• Starting from dried chickpeas? Soak 200 g overnight, then boil or pressure-cook until very soft before step 5.
• Amchur (dried mango powder) gives a sour lift; lemon juice is a fine stand-in.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Swasthi's Recipes Hebbar's Kitchen BBC Good Food