Black Channa Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Tyson chickpeas (available in Safeway & Coles in the Indian groceries section)

• 6 cups of water

Masala Paste Ingredients:

• 1 tblsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1/4 tsp chilli powder (optional)

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp salt (add more if needed)

• 1 onion roughly chopped

• ½ cup water

• 2 tomatoes diced..or half a tin of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tsp chopped garlic

• ½ tsp chopped ginger

• 4 tblsps Olive or Vegetable oil

• 1 tblsp of lemon juice

• Optional: Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish and mix through

Method:

1. Wash the Tyson chickpeas thoroughly twice & then soak it in 6 cups of water overnight. It is important to soak it overnight so as to soften the chickpeas. The next day, if you notice in the pot that the chickpeas have absorbed a lot of the water, then you can add another cup or two of water so that the chickpeas  will have enough moisture to cook in, in the pressure cooker. 

2. Cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker until tender. If you have a pressure cooker it will cook quickly in about 10-15 minutes. However, if you don’t have one, you can cook the chickpeas in a pot but allow it to cook for at least 60 minutes until they become soft (which you can test by removing a spoonful and when it has cooled, pressing down on it with your finger to see if it has cooked sufficiently).

3. To make the masala paste, first fry the chopped onions and cumin seeds  in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the onions have cooked.

4. Then transfer the chopped onion & cumin seeds to a blender with half a cup of water and blend until a smooth paste has formed. If you don’t have a blender, then finely chop the onion & saute it in the frying pan with the below ingredients.

5. In a frying pan, saute the garlic, ginger in 4 tablespoons of olive oil & then add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder & salt & fry for 2-3 minutes on a low flame so that the spices don’t burn.

6. Stir in the blended onion paste & cook the masala paste for another 5 minutes. Then add the chopped tomato pieces & continue to cook the masala paste for another 5 minutes.

7. Mix in the masala paste to the cooked chickpeas and further cook the curry on a low flame for 10 minutes to allow all of the ingredients to combine well. 

8. To further thicken the gravy mixture, remove half a cup of the chickpeas into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Then place the crushed chickpea mixture back into the pot, along with one tablespoon of lemon juice and mix well. 

9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice and/or naan bread. Also lovely to eat on its own.