What's in the fridge?

I was so happy to have Chef Nupur on the show from Queens, New York. This woman is amazing and her signature is “Indian Food in a New York Minute” so no endless hours in the kitchen. Together we made this simple Indian dish preparation of chickpeas stewed in coconut milk.

This vegan dish was the perfect entry-level dish for me into Indian cooking. And Chef Nupur is hilarious! @queenscurrykitchen
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My favorite moments 😂:

– me adding turmeric cautiously- « c’mon Joanna it’s a superfood, put more, you can’t overdo a superfood »
– Chef Nupur « there must be a dirty grandpa somewhere because Mexican and Indian cooking are so similar »
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Thank you Chef Nupur for making me laugh and sharing this dish with me! I can’t wait to try it in the no-yeast dough you showed us how to make, similar to roti. (I don’t remember how to say it but it’s square 😂 sorry!)
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What is Chana Masala?

“Chana” refers to the chickpeas and “masala” is the sauce. So, you probably have heard of Tikka Masala, which is the same sauce, but made with small cuts of chicken or meat. The sauce is the main component and is simply stewed tomatoes with spices and cream. In this case, it’s coconut cream. But, typically it is made with dairy cream.

Below is my recipe for Chana Masala, I made small adjustments from Chef Nupur. But get her recipe by going to her profile https://www.instagram.com/queenscurrykitchen/
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I recommend eating this with steamed white rice.

Easiest Chana Masala (vegan)

Serves 3-4
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

* 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
* 1 Serrano, chopped (optional)
* 1 knob ginger, peeled, chopped

* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 can chickpeas, drained
* ¾ t. Turmeric
* 1 t. Ground cumin
* 1 t. Ground coriander
* ½ t Chili powder (optional)
* 1 t. Paprika
* 5 T oil
* Fresh cilantro
* ½ can coconut cream
* Salt to taste
* Water

Directions: 

1. Blend first 3 ingredients (tomato, serrano chile, and ginger) with ¼ cup water or just chopped up. It should be pretty chunky, not too watery.

2. Heat oil in large saute pan w/ lid and then add the finely chopped onion. Cook until slightly golden brown (a few minutes). Then, add the blender contents. Stand back because it will splatter.  Cook on high heat for a couple minutes or until it evaporates some of the liquid. Add a pinch of salt.

3. Then, add all the spices in. Stir continuously. Keep cooking at high heat and stirring until it gets thick and no more liquid is in the pan. The mixture will be like a chunky tomato sauce.

4. Then, add drained chickpeas, ½ cup of water and coconut cream. Simmer on medium heat and cover with a lid for 15-20 minutes or chickpeas very tender.

5. Salt to taste. Top with cilantro and serve with rice.
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Once you know this recipe for the masala sauce, you can add more veggies like zucchini, cauliflower or sweet potato. You can also cook it longer to evaporate more liquid and put it in a wrap (roti).