Black Chickpeas Stew Black Chickpea Black chickpeas (Kala Chana) have a lower glycemic index than white chickpeas and they are great for building up stamina (athletes) and diabetics trying to control their blood sugar. They are not for those with weak digestion so don’t eat them when you are stressed. If you have IBS, don’t eat them in the middle of a flare up. You can buy black chickpeas at a local Indian market. My Wholefoods has them in the loose bins aisle. Soak them in water for 2 nights preferably before cooking them. The long soak means that you can cook them without a pressure cooker which I am told is perfectly safe. I remain afraid of pressure cookers. Ingredients Kala chana – 2 cups – will be 2-3 times the volume after the soaking Yogurt – 1/2 cup Tomatoes - 4 large Ginger – 1 inch piece Green chilies – 4 large chopped finely. Remove veins and seeds if you do not the dish to be very hot Besan (gram flour) – 4 Tbsp - Available at Indian food stores Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon or to taste – You can omit this altogether if you like Coriander seeds – 2 Tbsp Garam masala – 1 Tbsp – Available at Indian food stores Ghee (clarified butter) – 3 Tbsp – you can use olive oil if you want to Cumin seeds – 1 Tbsp Asafoetida – a pinch Salt – to taste Cilantro for garnish Instructions 1. Wash black chickpeas under running water. Soak at least overnight and preferably for 2 nights. Change water on day 2 if soaking for 2 nights. 2. Discard soaked water and transfer soaked chana to a thick bottomed stock pot. Add enough water to submerge the chickpeas with a 2 inch layer of water on top. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Let the pot simmer for at least 2 hours. Add more water as needed. Turn off the heat once the chickpeas are soft to your liking and let them sit on the stove while you make the gravy. 3. Combine yogurt, tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander seeds, garam masala, salt and green chilies in a blender and process to a homogenous paste. 4. Heat the ghee or olive oil in pan on medium heat. 5. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Let the cumin seeds sizzle. 6. Add the besan and toast it until light brown 7. Add yogurt and tomato mixture while stirring rapidly. 8. Add boiled chana and lower the heat to a simmer. Let the whole dish simmer for at least 15 minutes. Longer is great. Make sure there is enough water at the end for plentiful gravy. This is not a soup but the gravy is essential to its constitution. 9. Top with chopped fresh cilantro and serve hot. 10. It is great with boiled Basmati rice or with any kind of flat wheat bread. 11. A salad made with finely chopped onions, tomatoes and green chilies sprinkled with lemon juice is great with the hearty bean dish. Leave out green chilies if they will set your palate on fire.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:34:58 +0000
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