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Chickpea Chole.

October 11, 2012 by Carolina

Indian food is one of my favorites: the spices, the roti & naan — what’s not to love? Though there are a few great Indian restaurants in town none of them come close to my friend Krishna’s cooking (Hi Krishna!). I was fortunate enough to be invited over for dinner the other day & she made one of my favorites: Chole. How much do I love chole? Let me count the ways! This dish has everything that makes Indian cuisine so great, I have a feeling you’re going to love this one. Are you reading to have the best Indian dish of your life? Let’s get to it!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

3/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chole masala

1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon Indian red pepper

1 1/2 cans of chickpeas, drained

2 tomatoes, minced

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup whipping cream (you can substitute in yogurt or milk)

In a skillet, heat oil & cumin seeds, cook for a couple of minutes & add minced garlic. Cook garlic & cumin for a minute, then add ginger paste & onions & cook until onions are golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes then add all the spices: salt, chole masala, tumeric powder, garam masala & indian red pepper. Continue to cook until water of tomatoes is almost all evaporated (about 3 – 5 minutes), then add the chickpeas. Cook for about 10 minutes then add the water & cook for an additional 5 minutes. Lastly, stir in the whipping cream & cook for 5 more minutes & the chole is done.

Chole can be enjoyed all on its own, with rice or my favorite way: scooped up with roti. We enjoyed chole with an array of Indian dishes (as pictured below) & let me tell you guys, I was one happy foodie! I can’t wait to go to India later this year & try this dishes in the nation they come from (more on that trip later!). Buen provecho!

What’s your favorite Indian dish?