Bhel - Chickpeas and Potatoes Salad

Bhel

Chickpeas and diced, boiled potatoes tossed with tomatoes, onions, green chillies, cilantro and bhel puri masala made a refreshing salad for lunch. The bhel puri masala kit, which I keep on hand,  is available in Indian markets. I've served this as an appetizer with mini pita pockets for friends at dinner.  

Stir-Fried Spinach and Chickpeas

Saagwala Channa

A delicious way to dress up a simple bowl of spinach is to add meat or chicken, or in this case, chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Cooking it in a pressure cooker creates a creamy spinach in which the chickpeas provide a satisfying texture. The ingredients are similar to those used in a Saagwala Murg or Lamb. 

This side dish goes well with either steamed basmati rice or chapatis.

Ghoogni or Channa Masala - Curried Chickpeas

Ghoogni

Ghoogni served with light and puffy luchis are a favorite snack among Bengali households. A mild hint of sour taste from tamarind pulp in a thick onion and tomato gravy makes it perfect for an accompaniment to luchis. I generally have it with tortillas because they are readily available and less work than making luchis. 

Soaking dried chickpeas overnight can be substituted with a can of already cooked chickpeas or garbanzo beans in the Western hemisphere. I find that russet potatoes are a good addition. Remember that Bengalis love their potatoes and we add them to any and everything!

Tuna, Chickpeas & Potato Salad

Tuna, Chickpeas & Potato Salad

Tuna salad, potato salad and chickpeas/garbanzo beans individually are among my favourite foods. Here, all three were combined with red and orange rainbow peppers to produce a refreshing salad when it's chilled and served for lunch. The dressing is composed of yogurt, mixed with ranch dressing and the salad is garnished with green onions.

Ghoogni - Curried Chickpeas

Ghoogni

Diced Garnishes

Mixed Together with Lime

Ghoogni or curried chickpeas are a popular street food found all over Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta). In Bengali households it is a snack that is served between lunch and dinner, right around 4 p.m., with a cup of steaming, hot tea sweetened with sugar and lightened with milk.

My most vivid memory of this tea-time snack brings to mind the young master of the house across the courtyard from our flat/apartment in Jodhpur Park. I say 'young' because in the joint-family that lived there, his father was the patriarch of the family. Either my eyesight at that time was at its peak or the courtyard was not very big, because tea-time snacks or jol khabar in that household were served on their spacious wrap-around balcony and I could observe what was served when the young master returned from work in the evening.  Ghoogni & luchi, or curried chickpeas & puffed bread, must have been one of their favourite meals with hot tea. He and his father would be served in style while he sat across from his father with his mother and wife hovering over them to make sure every one of their needs were met. Preparing this dish took quite a bit of effort because the dry beans had to be soaked overnight and pressure cooked before the curry could be prepared.

Fast forward 45 years across the ocean from Kolkata where packaged, pre-cooked chickpeas are available year-round in the supermarkets. This makes it simpler and faster to bring ghoogni to the table. Luchi is not a staple in our home because they are deep-fried. Instead, we have ghoogni with chapatis or tortillas for lunch.

If dried chickpeas are the only option, soak them overnight in plenty of water, drain them the next day and pressure cook in enough water for 20 minutes before adding them to the gravy. Curried chickpeas are vegetarian and vegan, packed with protein, among other valuable nutrients, and are both hearty and delicious!

Chana Masala with Loads of Rainbow Peppers

Chickpeas, Potatoes & Rainbow Peppers

Chana Masala is a popular item on an Indian menu. I've given it a twist by adding sweet rainbow peppers which pumped up the flavor.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet rainbow peppers (small red, yellow & orange peppers)

2 (14 oz.) can garbanzo beans, washed & drained

2 (14 oz.) cans diced potatoes, washed and drained
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1/2 tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder

2 large onions, peeled & diced
2 medium (Roma) tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp. ginger paste

1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste2 tsp. tomato paste
1 jalapeno pepper, diced

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat and sputter cumin seeds, cinnamon & star anise.
2. Fry coriander-cumin powder, onions & tomatoes until tomatoes break down.
3. Add tomato paste, ginger and garlic pastes & stir-fry until oil resurfaces.
4. Add sweet peppers and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
5. Stir in garbanzo beans & potatoes.
6. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
7. Lower heat, cover and simmer until dry.
8. Garnish with diced jalapeno peppers and remove from heat

Serve hot over steamed Basmati or Jasmine rice or with chapatis.

Stir-Fried Chayote Squash & Chickpeas

This recipe was inspired by one on Facebook with a few modifications. The original recipe used green papaya and kala chana. Neither are available readily, so I used chayote squash and chickpeas/garbanzo beans. It's a very simple stir-fry using very few ingredients and is quick and easy to make.

Ground Chicken with Chickpeas & Potatoes

Keema Cholay

There are so many ways to prepare keema curry, but this one is really delicious because of the addition of Shan Pulao/Biryani mix, which is available in Indian grocery stores throughout the United States & Canada.

There's lots of texture in this main dish because of the ground chicken & chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Hubby requested this some weeks ago - it worked out so well!

Stir-Fried Green Beans & Chickpeas

Green Beans & Chickpeas

My intention was to stir-fry green beans with diced potatoes, but this was made at the tail-end of preparing dinner last night. Feeling too tired to peel and dice a russet potato, I went in search of a can of diced potatoes in the pantry. 

Lo and behold, this can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans/chana) was staring me in the face! I figured the texture was pretty close to cooked potatoes and size similar to diced potatoes which resulted in a delightful stir-fry that was peppery and full of texture. 

The next time, I will add grated coconut for more flavor.

Tuna and Chickpeas Hash

The inspiration for this recipe came from my brother during one of our telephone conversations.  I plan to try his sometime soon, but here is what I came up with. The packaged tuna fish can be replaced with any fish fillets that have been poached and flaked. Generally, a hash is made with potatoes but in an attempt to reduce the carbohydrate content, the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) came in handy. Diced water chestnuts in this hash gives it an interesting crunch.  

Chickpeas with Russet & Sweet Potatoes

GHOOGNI with sweet potatoes
A variation of Chana Masala

Chana Masala, a North Indian dish, made in the Bengali style includes potatoes and is called Ghoogni. I added sweet potatoes to give it a twist.

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

Tempering:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
4 cloves
3 bay leaves

Gravy:
1 medium onion, chopped, blanched and puréed
1 Tbsp. garlic paste
2 Tbsp. ginger paste
2 Tbsp. tomato purée
2 Tbsp. Greek or plain yogurt
1 tsp. Shan Chana Masala powder

Garnish:
Cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped
1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. ghee

Directions:
1. Cook sweet and russet potatoes in boiling, salted water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and reserve 1½ cups boiling water or simmer 1½ cups vegetable stock.
3. Whip Gravy ingredients together and set aside.
4. Microwave oil on high for 2 minutes.
5. Add Tempering ingredients and cook on high for another 2 minutes.
6. Add whipped Gravy ingredients, stir and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
7. Add boiling water or hot vegetable stock to gravy and stir.
8. Add potatoes along with chickpeas, stir well and microwave on high for another 2 minutes.
9. Garnish with ghee & garam masala powder, stir and sprinkle cilantro and jalapeno peppers on top before serving.

Goes great with cooked rice or tortillas.

Ghoogni (Chana Masala)

Ghoogni
Channa Masala

Ingredients:
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 russet potato, diced
3 oz. tomato puree (Hunt's tomato sauce)
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. ginger paste
7 oz. thick coconut milk
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
Chopped cilantro
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped and de-seeded, if desired)
1 lime
1 tsp. ghee
salt to taste

Method:

1. Drain garbanzo beans.  Wash in several changes of cold water.
2. Boil chopped onions in 1/2 cup water, drain onions and place in blender along with ginger paste, pureed tomatoes and coconut milk.  Blend to a thick paste.
3. Heat a saute pan over high heat, add vegetable oil and sputter cumin seeds, star anise and cinnamon stick.
4. Stir in cumin & coriander powder and fry until it browns.
5. Add blended mixture.  Saute for 5 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add garbanzo beans and diced potatoes.
7. Saute beans, potatoes and blended mixture until oil resurfaces and potatoes are cooked.
8. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, add some hot water.  Adjust salt to taste.  
9. Stir in lime juice and garnish with chopped peppers, cilantro and ghee.
10. Serve with heated tortillas or parathas.