What I made for dinner tonight: curried chickpeas, potatoes and peas

Curried Chickpeas, Potatoes and Peas

Tonight, for dinner I made something that that is a variation of the Aloo Matar Masala that I posted years ago. This time, I added cooked chickpeas, and used chili powder instead of garam masala. I am very pleased with the outcome, so I thought I would share it here.

My husband is pleased with the outcome too. He said: “Honey, you hit this out of the universe!”

It is always so nice when everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

1 chili pepper, diced (it made it a bit spicy, so you might want to use less or use red pepper flakes to taste)

3 – 4 potatoes, cubed

1 cup dried chickpeas that were cooked over night in the crockpot

1 cup green peas

1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

1 can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 -2 clove fresh garlic, crushed

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Water to cover, usually about 2 cups.

 Instructions:

Cook the chickpeas or used canned chickpeas. I find that recipes come out better when the beans are cooked first. It just takes a bit more planning. The chickpeas could also be cooked for 40 minutes to pressure in the pressure cooker. This time, I used a crockpot.

Sauté the onion, garlic, chili pepper, and ginger until slightly browned. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and salt and sauté until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and adjust the seasoning. Simmer until well blended. Add the potatoes, chickpeas, and water.

Stove top: Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Add the peas. Adjust the seasonings again. Add the chili powder at the end. It really makes a difference. Before serving, add fresh chopped cilantro.

Pressure cooker: With a pressure cooker, bring to pressure for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes) and release the pressure using the quick release method. Add the peas. Simmer on the stove top and adjust the seasoning.

Alternative one pot only method with a pressure cooker: It occurred to me that it might be possible to make this with the pressure cooker, using only one pot. Sauté the onions, garlic, and ginger until slightly browned. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and salt and sauté until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and water. Bring to pressure for 35 minutes and then quickly release the pressure. Open the pot and add the potatoes. Bring to pressure for 5 minutes and then quickly release the pressure. Add the peas. Simmer on the stove top and adjust the seasonings. I think this could work. Lately, however, I find it easier to just cook the beans first and then proceed with the recipe.

Serve with rice and a salad for a complete meal.

Normally, I don’t like to repeat recipes on the blog. Cooking, however, is a reflection of life: small changes can have a big impact on the outcome. What is interesting to me is that just by adding chickpeas, and changing the spicing a tiny little bit, it really made a difference.

If you make the dish, please let me know and share how it came out in the comment section.

Enjoy!

Love,

Carol & family

Here are the pictures.

The most important thing is to sauté the onions, garlic and ginger. I added the chili pepper.

In the process, ready to cook.

Final outcome before adding the cilantro.