Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez's Chana Punjabi

I have been rendered mute by a chickpea. (Can you say mute when you mean your ability to type?) To be more specific, a jumbo can of chickpeas simmered for close to an hour in a thick, spicy tomato sauce spiked with jalapeño and lemon juice and finished with fresh cilantro (two nights in a row, people - can you believe it?). Mute, I tell you. All I can think to tell you is that I loved this dish, I loved it, and I will make it again and again until the end of time. Who cares that the only Indian take-out place near us stinks? I will never need them again. Who cares that times are tough and money is short? This recipe costs barely anything to make. Who cares that the world has too many people that eat too much meat? I would gladly never eat meat again.

Chana punjabi, I think I love you.

This recipe comes from Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, who runs darling little Lassi in the West Village and has a way with Indian food that makes me weak in the knees. It is simple: you make a quick tomato sauce, with ginger and garlic and jalapeño and warm spices (garam masala, you make my heart sing), then puree it into a creamy mass. Into that go the drained, rinsed chickpeas (canned! hurrah!) which stew and stew in their sticky, gorgeous sauce while you do other things, like daydream about moving to India. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, bang a pot of rice on the stove and you're pretty much set for the best dinner you'll have all week. (Aren't I presumptuous? What do I know about what you've been eating?)

Apparently, this is meant to serve four people. I answer that by dissolving into bright peals of laughter. Four? Are you serious? Barely even two. We had to settle for a salad after we scraped the pot clean like a pair of Dickensian orphans, and let me tell you that never has a salad been so resented. Next time I'm doubling this recipe. In fact, you should go ahead right now and double the ingredients you'll need to buy to make this yourself - don't even bother making just one batch.

Chana Punjabi
Serves 2

1 tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 small Thai bird chili, chopped or 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped or a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Cooked rice for serving (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat oil and add onion. Sauté until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chili, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

2. Purée mixture in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and place over medium heat. Add paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, the garam masala, turmeric and lemon juice. Add chickpeas and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

3. Cover and simmer until sauce is thick and chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir pan about every 10 minutes, adding water as needed (up to 1 1/2 cups) to prevent burning. When ready to serve, sauce should be thick. If necessary, uncover pan and allow sauce to reduce for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until desired consistency. Stir in cilantro, adjust salt as needed and serve with cooked rice, if desired.

Comments

[Betsy]

I could not be more excited about trying this recipe. And this: "let me tell you that never has a salad been so resented" is the best phrase I've read all week.

[maggie (p&c)]

There has been a lot of chana cooking going around (my own included) but yours looks the best. Want it now.

Will you be at the Orangette reading next week? Would love to meet you!

[Reuben Morningchilde]

Sounds great.
A little bit like the lamb couscous I make, just without the lamb... Great idea. Will try that, thanks for the inspiration!

Oh, and if you make these again, try adding the zest of the lemon. Just the yellow skin that you can get off with a potato peeler, not the white stuff. I'm quite sure you'll love it.

[Christina]

I saw this recipe in the NY Times and wasn't sure how I felt about it. For strange reason I am always a bit apprehensive about chickpeas. But now that you have recommended this recipe so enthusiastically, I have to try it! It looks delicious.

[radish]

thank you for posting this - i've been looking for a good chana masala recipe and will make this tonight!! can't wait.

[Maija]

Oh, this sounds great! With maybe the exception of the jalapeno and cilantro, the bulk of the ingredients usually reside in my pantry. Love that. I keep garlic naan from Trader Joe's in my freezer (it's quite good for frozen!) - perhaps that will prevent the resentful salad eating. The double batch is a even smarter idea, since really how much more work is that?

[Supriya]

This is just one of the many dishes that help most of India's formidable population remain happily vegetarian. If you like this stuff, try a recipe for rajma, black bean curry. You wont regret it!

[Arundathi]

That's an amazing looking channa masala. It's one of the dishes we Indians just don't tire of easily! Like the previous commenter, you would love Rajma too - its a curry made with black or red long beans.
Comfort food in northern India is Rajma and Rice. I have a recipe for rajma on my blog if you're interested.

[Adrienne]

Oh YUM. I tucked that recipe away, too - glad to hear it is as good as it looked. And I think I have everything I need in the pantry. Sweet.

[Johanna]

I made this last night - and we also have almost nothing left. I made a yougurt/spinach side to go with which made the whole thing very yummy.

[Laura]

Oh I'm so excited you posted this! A friend of mine brought something similar to a dinner party I threw a while back to eat on melba toasts for appetizers. I loved it and have been hoping to come across a recipe ever since!

[laura]

Well, I'm sold!

I always stock pile canned black beans & chick peas for lazy suppers & this sounds like such a good recipe to shake 'em up a bit. Thanks for sharing it.

[A Mouse Bouche]

This sounds SO good and right along the lines of what I've been wanting lately in a recipe: cheap, and vegetarian. Oh, and easy as falling out of a tree.

[Kate]

I will be making this tout de suite!

[Lindsey (Cafe Johnsonia)]

And that's what I'm making for dinner tomorrow. Thanks! :)

[meleyna]

This is the THIRD chickpea recipe I have bookmarked in two days. Oh, how I love my humble little chickpea.

[Jen]

Thanks for posting another Indian recipe! The pic makes me think that this is might be a drier dish than I'd like, but your review is so effusive that I'll have to try it and see for myself.

[Emily]

Yay, this looks fab. I'm going to wilt some of the bajillion pounds of winter greens my csa brought me into this at the end. It looks great and I can't wait to try it tonight!

[Luisa]

Betsy - well, thank you! :)

Maggie - I will indeed be there, at the Thursday reading. Come say hi!

Christina - apprehensive about chickpeas?! :) I think this is just the dish to get you hooked.

Supriya and Arundathi - thanks for the tip. I can't wait to try black bean curry, any recipe in particular you want to point me to?

Johanna - tell me more about that yogurt/spinach side!

Jen - you can totally control the moisture of the dish as you cook. I wanted something stewy, not soupy so I didn't add as much water. But you can go all the way up to 1.5 cups to suit the way you want to have it.

[Courtney]

Quick question: What type of garam masala do you use? Thanks!

[Vicky LaVoie]

This recipe sounds amazing and I can't wait to make it. Thanks for your awesome taste in food!

[Allison]

Chickpeas galore! All of my favorite food blogs are featuring this fantastic little bean this week. I love cooking Indian food at home, and this is perfect for a meat-free meal. Thanks for the recipe!

[Emily]

I LOVE chickpeas and will be making this soon. I really like the combination of lamb and chickpeas so might try to adapt the recipe to include some soft, falling-apart chunks of lamb as well...

[Luisa]

Courtney - I use the Whole Foods brand, it comes in a little plastic packet.

[chelsea]

"Dickensian orphans" - hah! That just made me laugh out loud...

(still snickering)

[Maya]

Oooh, I clipped that one, too. Now I *really* can't wait to try it!

[Julie]

I so enjoy your writing.

Just printed the recipe out. Perhaps I'll make it for my parents since my spouse is not a chick pea enthusiast.

[Angry Brit]

I have a lonely can of chickpeas and a can of tomatoes in the cupboard and I've been idly thinking about doing something with them. OK. This is what they call the push that's needed. This looks so good- I will definitely be making double. I bet the leftovers are great the next day.

[CookingSchoolConfidential.com]

I love chickpeas - they have that wonderful, almost buttery taste, in this textured bundle. What an amazing combination. Of course, it doesn't hurt that you can cook them any one of a million ways. If only all ingredients were so versatile.

Cheers!

[nenasadije]

it's on my stove right now and smells delicious!

[Angela]

I LOVE these flavors. I could eat this every night of the week. What a perfect dish! Thanks for sharing!

[Anticiplate]

This recipe is similarly familiar to Chana Masala which I have just discovered and LOVE. I read about it is Molly Wizenberg's new book. I agree with what one commenter said, this would be EXCELLENt with lamb.

[unconfidentialcook.com]

What a way with chickpeas! Looks so good, and we need to double the recipe!

[Davin]

I have this on my stove right now and it smells amazing! I've never cooked an Indian dish before, because I've always been so intimidated by the names I'm afraid to pronounce out loud and all the unfamiliar ingredients, but this seemed so easy and approachable that I had to try it. Thanks for sharing!

[Esther]

I love chick peas in any form but this sounds amazing. And (this must be a first) I already have all of the ingredients! I'm off to make it for dinner now.

[sara coyne]

I have been positively tortured the last few weeks because, at least from where I sit in Los Angeles, we seem agonizingly poised between winter and spring. So, I've been looking for recipes that defy season. This looks perfect!

Thanks for the inspiration.

[larry]

hi - where do you buy thai bird chilis in nyc?

[Kristine in Santa Barbara]

Love this dish. It's ready on the stove now. Tastes fab. I used a 14 oz can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with juice. I didn't bother with pureeing. Rice in pressure cooker (7 minutes to go) and preheating the oven for TJ's frozen naan, (which totally works when good Indian food is elusive...or 100 miles away).

Thanks so much for the many wonderful posts. I'm way overdue in posting. We eat the shrimp/broccoli all the time.....and much more from your site. I'm a fan!

BTW: You scored with your name. I named my daughter Luisa back in 1990 (because her Dad has such a fabulous Tuscan last name to go with it) and never looked back. Kristine

[Sarah]

I made this dish this weekend and I am in love...my only difficulty was the fact that I didn't have garam masala and I couldn't find it in any of the food stores within a five block radius of my apartment.

The fish market near my place has a great assortment of asian spices and I ended up replacing the garam masala with the curry spice they carry (contains many of the same spices as garam masala). I'm sure it was different, but it still was great - can't wait to try it next time with garam masala. Thanks again!

[alexandria]

made this last night to serve to a friend, and just ate the leftovers for lunch. (yes, we had leftovers, a full serving's worth.) it was good last night, though not as good as i'd hoped from reading this post... but it was great today. the flavors really deepened overnight. will be making this again-- not for dinner, but with the intent of having a couple of lunches set to go in the fridge. thanks!

[Tina]

Making this tonight. I love your writing style - descriptive, poetic & compelling. I can taste the food and find it nearly impossible not to try most recipes the same day. Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli has become one of our favorites, and I have a feeling I'll be making Chana on a regular basis. From one food lover & cook to another... thanks for the amazing posts.

[Kris]

Made this at the weekend and loved it! I used a can of pureed tomatoes because that's what I had on hand, then just chopped the onions and garlic really fine and didn't puree. Turned out great - the sauce still thickens up nicely. This will definitely become part of my slowly expanding Indian repertoire. :)

[kathryn]

Gosh this looks good - so thick and rich looking in your photo.

The proportions sound like Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. Anything for 4 - 6 only feeds 2 people. I think it's because you're *meant* to serve it with rice, chutneys, salads and other accompaniments.

I think I'll be making this soon.

[Marie]

Ooooooh - this reminds me of the 2-lentil stew you posted a while back. That has become an almost weekly dish in our house!!! I can't wait to try this chickpea version!

[Nadia]

I made this last week and found it a touch bland, but regret not putting some aside overnight as that can make a difference to final flavour.

[JD]

Made this two days ago...a little hesitant because I've been maxing out on chickpeas lately. Loved it! Had it with rice (duh) and plain yogurt. Taste sensation and was great for work the next day...everyone was jealous.

[Hannah]

that looks lovely. just absolutely _perfect_. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[tara]

Just gorgeous; looks like keeper of a recipe. The photo alone was enough to make my tummy rumble - at it is almost 11:00 p.m.!

Although you didn't have leftovers, I frequently turn my Mum's chana masala (or really most Indian chickpea dishes) into soup the next day. Puréed with a bit of stock, and finished with yogurt and lime, it is one of my favorite things for lunch.

[tracy thompson]

My husband's family are from the Punjab - and chickpeas are one of his absolute fav foods, Chana Masala is an essential side dish with all Indian meals.. And very good for you too!
Tracy (London, UK)

[christy]

we made this over the weekend. it was so good. i doubled the recipe as warned and it still disappeared in no time flat. thanks!