Spicy Chickpeas

Tonight's creation is a simple and fairly quick dish to prepare, especially if you assemble the other ingredients while the beans are cooking.

Sour Chickpeas

1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
7 1/2 cups water
3 medium onions chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 - 3 fresh green chillies, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons of oil
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of turmeric
2 teaspoons of garam masala
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne

Cook the chickpeas until soft, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, strain, saving the cooking liquid.

Mix together half the chopped onions, salt, green chillies, ginger and lemon juice and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium to high heat. When hot put in the remaining onions and fry until they begin to brown on the edges. Add the tomatoes, stir and fry for another 6 minutes. Put in coriander, cumin and turmeric. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Now put in the chickpeas, 1 1/2 - 1 2/3 cups of the cooking liquid, the garam masala and cayenne. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low and cook very gently for 20 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking.

Add the mixture of onions, salt, chillies, ginger and lemon juice. Stir to mix and serve.

For a balanced meal, serve it up with a grain, such as brown rice and millet, salad or vegetables of your choice and of course, a glass of red wine.