Chana Masala (chickpea curry)

One of my favorite cuisines is Indian food. In my mind, the combination of vegetables and spices of many Indian dishes is hard to beat.  Tasting these dishes, you begin to understand why one might sail uncharted oceans for such a flavor.  Of the Indian dishes I've had, I most commonly eat Chana Masala.  "Chana" means chickpeas and "masala" means mixture.  This recipe is relatively simple to make but requires some spices you might not have on hand.  Serve with basmati rice and/or homemade naan (Indian flat bread).

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

3 cups chickpeas (canned)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (add seeds if you like it very spicy)
4 oz roasted mild green chilies (optional)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup cilantro
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp garam masala
1/2 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp cloves
salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

• Saute garlic, ginger, and onions in olive oil  
• Add salt, spices, and jalapenos.  One jalapeno is mild to medium, two for medium to hot  
• Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes  
• Add chickpeas, green chilies, tomatoes  
• Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable broth  
• Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes or to desired thickness
• Add spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes
• Top with fresh cilantro

Potential alterations:

• Use different greens (mustard greens, collards, kale)
• Add mushrooms or different vegetables that you like (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower)