China Crumpet

I am loving my Indian food right now. Somehow, it feels luxurious and exotic to be having curry and pratha in December, it sort of fills up the space between the goose and the ham really nicely. The nice thing about Indian food as well is that there are so many vegetarian recipes (and this one is vegan even!) that don’t leave you feeling like you’ve missed something.

This is a sturdy Daal (lentil or chickpea based mixture) that will feed 4 with a but of rice or naan bread to go with it. It can also be eaten as a dip or together with other Indian classics such as Palak Paneer or Chicken Do Piaza.

You will need:

2 cans chickpeas
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 small onion; minced
1 tbs minced fresh ginger
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 dl tomato paste
2 dl (3/4 cup) water or mild, brewed tea
1/2 teaspoon salt; or to taste
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Oil for frying

Coarsely chop about half the chickpeas. In a food processor or a blender, process the remaining chickpeas and half the water or tea until you get an even puree. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry until they pop, about 10 seconds. Add onion, ginger & garlic and fry until onion is soft and slightly transparent. Add turmeric, coriander and cayenne. Cook for about 30 seconds or so, stirring to make sure nothing burns. Add tomato paste and remaining water/tea. Simmer for a minute or two and then add the chopped and pureed chickpeas. Simmer for a while longer, season with salt and add the lime juice right at the end. Serve with rice and/or pratha.