Chana masala for the lazy and discerning

Spices, chickpeas, and tomatoes: For when you don’t want to think but still need to feed and impress your friends.

Ingredients

• Your nearest cooking oil
• 1 medium onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• ~2 Tbsp well minced garlic
• 1/2 cup cilantro (garnish)
• 2-3 fresh green chilis (I use jalapenos or thai chilis most of the time)
• 3+ (15-ounce) cans of tomatoes or equivalent chopped fresh tomatoes (keep the juices)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas, drained and skins removed if you’re feeling fancy
• 2 Tbsp Ground Corriander
• 3 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 3 Tbsp Garam masala spice mix
• Salt to taste, and then add some more
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mince the onion, garlic, and ginger. If you’re using whole tomatoes cut them up too.
2. Heat oil in a large pot. When water dances on the oil throw in the onion and garlic.
3. When ~half the onion is carmalized add the garlic and half the corriander and cumin (if you’re fancy you can add some whole spices).
4. After a couple minutes dump in your tomatoes and chicpeas. Add the rest of the corriander and cumin, plus a teaspoon or so of salt and some of the garam masala.
5. Bring to the border of a boil and lower the temperature. Stir every couple minutes (or maybe every five minutes. Ten if you sat down on the couch. Fifteen if you started playing a video game or reading a book–but make sure you panic when you do and maybe lower the temperature).
6. After half an hour look at the pot, realize it is almost edible and nowhere near done, add more corriander, cumin, and garam masala. Stir, turn down the temperature but make sure visible evaporation is still happening.
7. Consider starting some rice.
8. Keep the pot cooking for another 60 to 180 minutes until your desired un-soupy consistincy, or cook until your friends arrive.
9. Turn off the heat, stir in another shake of garam masala and black pepper. Taste it–add lemon for acid, salt for salt, coconut sugar for sweetness.
10. Serve with naan, bread, rice, or just in a bowl. Garnish with lemon wedge, cilantro, and hunger.

Serving Suggestions

• Spices amounts are approximate. Generally I just add until it looks good, then add more a few minutes later to be safe.
• Spices are all that matters. Find a good spice shop and buy good spices, Indian import stores are the best.
• Seriously, this recipe is good because you put a bunch of spices in a pot and cooked it for a while. That’s it.
• Add more tomatoes than you think (you’ll just cook it longer)

This recipe stolen shammelessly from: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-chana-masala/#wprm-recipe-container-35349