Recipe: Indian Spiced Chickpea Tomato Stew, Allergen-Free, Vegan

Chana masala over steamed rice with a side of arugula. And a bonus yogurt sauce!

An Indian Spiced Chickpea Tomato Stew that is made from pantry ingredients and comes together in about ten minutes? Oh yes, please. 

Seriously, you could walk into the front door, exhausted and throw this together with some rice and some greens et voila, a yummers dinner that is satisfying, inexpensive and yum. You know, I love those. Well’ here’s another winner in my household.

I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen with what I had on hand in my pantry and what I like.

My version is a less traditional chana masala and more of a gently spiced chickpea tomato stew so I titled it as such. 

I topped it with a simple yogurt sauce, made on the fly. Plain whole milk yogurt, a dash or turmeric, a dash or cumin, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.   

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Recipe: Indian Spiced Chickpea Tomato Stew, Allergen-Free, Vegan
Lightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons smoky paprika

1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
A splash of water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 lemon, juiced


Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet or medium sized pot. Add onion, garlic, ginger and sauté over medium heat until fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the cumin, cayenne, turmeric and smoky paprika. Cook the onion-spice mixture for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes with their juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot. Add the drained chickpeas. Add a splash of water. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.