Introduction:
Okay, this is one of my absolute favorite dishes. Why? You don’t need ANY fresh ingredients. At all. Period. How wonderful is that? I usually have about 5-6 cans of chickpeas hanging out in my pantry. If I come home from work, and I am too tired to pick up any fresh vegetables on the way, that is no problem. Because I know I have cans of chickpeas to make a healthy meal with. Let’s check this recipe out:
Ingredients:
- 1 can of chickpeas
- Olive oil (or any cooking oil)
- Chopped frozen cilantro (note – this is optional. I love cilantro, but if you didn’t have time to chop up and freeze cilantro, no worries)
- Mustard seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Coriander powder
- Turmeric powder
- Curry powder
Step 1:
Put a large pot on the stove and crank the heat up to medium or medium-high.
Step 2:
Put 4 spoons of oil into the pot; wait for a few minutes for it to heat up.
Step 3:
Put 2 spoons of mustard seeds into the pot; wait for a few minutes until the mustard seeds start to pop. If they don’t pop after 5 minutes, turn up the heat and wait until they do.
Step 4:
Add the frozen cilantro. Step back, because once you do this, the oil will sputter. [Note – as said before, this step is purely optional]
Step 5:
Open the can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drain it, and then pour the garbanzo beans into the pot.
Step 6:
Add 1-1.5 spoons of cumin powder, 1 spoon of coriander powder, 1-1.5 spoons of curry powder, and 1/2 spoon of turmeric powder. Stir the mix into the garbanzo beans.
Step 7:
Add ½ a cup of water, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Step 8:
Uncover the pot, and stir the garbanzo beans. Add one spoon of salt. Stir the chickpeas, and taste them; if you want more salt, add the extra salt in and stir.
Step 9:
Let any excess water boil away. Stir the chickpeas once or twice, and you are done!
Final thoughts:
I usually eat Indian Chhole with brown rice, quinoa, or some other type of healthy grain. For those times when I have no rice, I also eat Indian Chickpeas with tortillas (heated up in the microwave) or a naan bread that I buy at the supermarket. Do whatever is easiest for you!
