Curry n all

~ by Sasha

I’m not a very big fan of chilli – I like a teensy bite, but I do like the spices and flavours of curry a LOT!

I tasted the chickpea madras at a friend of mine's curry club (http://www.yudhika.com/), and growing up with a vegetarian mum, I’m partial to vegetarian food – chickpeas especially – so this really hit the spot! I had to have the recipe to share with you!

Madras is an area in India, and this is the type of meal specific to the region.

Chickpea madras

This is a quick and easy veggie curry that takes minutes to prepare and it tastes even better the next day. Try spooning the leftovers onto toast or as a topping on an omelette. A little curry on toast is the best hangover cure as it fires up your metabolism and kickstarts your day.   

Serves: 4

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 egg plant, diced

10ml sunflower oil

5ml mustard seeds

5ml cumin seeds

1 onion, finely chopped

5ml crushed garlic

pinch red chilli powder (according to your personal threshold!)

2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped

5ml ground coriander

5ml ground cumin

2,5ml Garam Masala

2,5ml turmeric

1 x 400g tin chickpeas

150ml coconut milk

Fresh coriander to garnish

Method:

1 Sprinkle salt on the aubergine dice to draw out the bitterness. Leave for a few minutes, then rinse in cold water. Pat dry.

2 Heat oil in a pot on a medium heat, add the aubergine and brown a little before adding the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to splutter, add cumin seeds. The cumin seeds will sizzle immediately. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until light golden brown.

3 Stir in the crushed garlic and red chilli powder. Add chopped tomatoes and stir for a minute before adding ground coriander and cumin, garam masala, tumeric and salt to tast. Simmer until the oil separates from the tomatoes. 

4 Pour in drained chickpeas and coconut milk. 

5 Garnish with fresh coriander.