Chana Masala

How I wish there was smell-o-vision around..

Recipe taken from a beautifully presented blog: ekant cook curry.

Well, I found WiFi! Day one in Dubai and there has been a lot of skyscraper admiring and pool lounging. This is a 'here's one I made earler' post. And I'm posting it because a similar item was a part of today's breakfast buffet. Yes, curry for breakfast. Yes, I ate some. It was eye-wateringly beautiful. I will have more tomorrow morning.

This was originally supposed to be just chickpeas, as I fancied a little veggie dinner. But my boyfriend came back from the gym and requested some protein for his “guns” so I had to oblige with a little meat.

I love curry in all flavours, meats and sizes. And I bow down to the chickpea. Those two loves combined in this extremely tasty meal which had a depth of flavour and a hint of hot spice. And unsurprisingly, it was even nicer the next day, as the flavours developed.

Serves 2 with leftovers

Ingredients

• 1 tin chickpeas

• 1 small onion

• 2 garlic cloves

• Thumb of garlic, minced

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 2 tsp cumin seeds

• 2 small chicken breasts, diced *optional

• 200ml passata

• ½ cup of peas

Method

Begin by preparing the chickpeas – simmer over a low heat in salted water for 30 minutes.

Heat a pan, add some oil and fry the onion, garlic and ginger over a medium heat until the onion is translucent, be careful to not let it burn.

Add in the spices and mix.

At this stage I went off-book and added some chicken. As I said, I wasn’t intending to, but my boyfriend demanded the addition of some protein in meat form after a gym session.

I fried the chicken until it became coloured on all sides and then added in the passata, chickpeas and peas. Add a cup or two of water until most everything is covered.

Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until everything is cooked through.

Serve with bread or rice or BOTH!

Mouth-watering