Good morning!
First up I have some exciting news. :)
Due to my obsession with all things photography and the million pictures on my hard drives, I have decided to create a Daily Picture page where I will be featuring a daily picture in 4 fun categories.
Each day I will be updating each category with a new picture.
You can click the image below to be taken to the new page.
The question is, which category will be visited the most? ;) I’m pretty excited for the ‘Surprise’ category because I have soooooo many random pictures on my computer.
You can find the Daily Pics link in the category bar at the top of the page now:
Secondly, I have also added an ‘Archives’ drop-down menu on the right side bar (underneath the search bar). Many of you have requested this lately, so now it is up! :)
Back to Channa Masala…
Do you ever go out to a restaurant and all you can think about is how much you can’t wait to make that dish at home?
And you wish you hadn’t stuffed yourself silly so you could go home, get hungry again, and make it that same night?
Ok, maybe that’s just me…
Last weekend, I met up with Angela to go out to an Indian restaurant called Masala Bay. I ordered the Channa Masala with Saffron rice and it was to die for. They served me a hefty portion and let’s just say my jeans were feeling a bit tight on my way out.
And by a bit tight, I mean that I had to undo the top button of my jeans on the drive home. ;)
The next day I made Channa Masala in the comfort of my own kitchen. Actually, twice in one week!
Spicy foods are perfect for those chilly Fall and Winter days, don’t you think? They warm me up and get my temperature a-risin’. Before I know it, I’m peeling off a layer and guzzling a glass of cold water, imagining myself on a hot, sunny beach.
Winter, what Winter?
Channa Masala
Winter be gone! This dish packs some heat- have your drink ready! Umbrella optional.
Adapted from Arvinda’s.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chick peas, cooked
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup canned ground or crushed tomatoes, unsalted
- 1.5-2 tbsp. Madras Masala, to taste*
- 1-2 tsp. sugar, to taste (optional)
- 1.5 cup water (I used 2 cups and it was much too thin)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt, or salt to taste
- 4 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped, to garnish (optional)
- 1 tsp. Garam Masala, to garnish (optional)
Directions: Rinse chickpeas and drain. Set aside. In a medium-sized pan, heat oil on medium-high heat and add in chopped onions. Add ground/crushed tomatoes and cook for one minute. Add Madras Masala spice to make a paste (or you can make your own from scratch). Fry paste for a couple of minutes. Stir in cooked chickpeas and add water to make a consistent sauce. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with basmati rice (optional). Serves 4.
Note: If you aren’t using a spice mix, you can also make your own. See here.
I love Arvinda’s spices. I have had the pleasure meeting the owners of Arvinda’s at the farmer’s market and they could not be nicer people. They are a local business out of Oakville, Ontario.
Lots ‘o chickpeas.
I doubled the original recipe so I would have lots of leftovers for the week ahead.
Leftovers rule and dishes drool.
Start by heating up the oil and adding the chopped onion.
Cook on low until it caramelizes after about 5-8 minutes and then add the crushed tomato.
Cook for another few minutes and now add the Masala spice. I also added the salt at the same time because it was on my board, but you might want to wait until the end to taste test first to see if it needs any salt.
Stir well to form a thick paste.
Looking good with the sunset pouring through the kitchen window.
Now add the chickpeas and stir well.
Add water and optional sugar.
I used 2 cups of water, but I would suggest using 1-1.5 cups of water if you want it thicker and more paste-like. It was too thin for my liking.
Finally, simmer for 10 minutes. Sneak little bites from the skillet and go, ‘Mmmm!’
That wasn’t so hard, eh?
Garnish with Garam Masala.
This dish is hot, hot, hot….almost too spicy for me, but I was a trooper. Hot flashes ensued, but I loved it.
Eric, on the other hand, will not go near spicy food, so I guess it is all for my belly!
Do you like spicy food? Are you an Indian food lover? Have you ever re-created any restaurant dishes at home?
Love the daily picture idea! Your photography is so excellent it deserves a special feature. I think the food pictures will stand out to me. Although the surprise & Sketchie sections will be fun.
i find i can’t cook indian food in our condo because it stinks up the place like crazy for DAYS, there not enough air circulation in a condo so have it air out enough. but i do like indian food every now and again, but i try to eat it at a restaurant rather than cooking at home
Oh! I’ve always wanted to make this! I wonder if I can find the spice mixes around here. And I had a carrot ginger dressing once at a sushi place here in town and I immediately went home and googled and googled and googled and found about 20 different recipes and mishmashed them all and picked and chose and made my own and it was glorious! I had told the waitress that I wanted to lick the salad bowl and she said some people do. Well? I can lick the bowl all I want at home!
I think I will always be checking out the “food” and “surprise” categories. :)
Love the surprise photo idea! And I think your Indian food looks better than in the restaurant. ;) I’d like to recreate the tandoori prawns I had there, but unfortunately that would mean investing in a Tandoori oven to truly get the real thing. Oh, and a sizzling plate too!
BAAAH looks so good! I need to A.) suck it up and locate this powder and B.) Take the time to make this. IT. LOOKS. SO. GOOD.
And it has garbanzo beans, so it’s like Hummus’ cousin.
<333alyne.
I will probably check out all of the categories ;)
I love spicy food and I am having chana masala tonight! I froze have of the recipe last time so I am hoping it tastes even better. I will let you know if it freezes well or not. My husband wanted it over potato last time and it was really really good! I also added small cubes of tofu to mine (although I know you don’t like tofu much). I also used tomato paste as that was all I had and I really liked it so I think I will continue to make it that way. The recipe I use is very similar but it calls for baking soda to be added with the water, not sure why. I will have to research that one. Hope you have a great day :)
love the new feature.
oh man, you are making my grocery store decisions tough- this looks delish, i really want to try it!!!!
I looove Indian food!! The spicier the better for me.
And I love the daily pics!! The one of you twirling in Venice is my favorite today :)
Oh! I’m looking forward to your daily pics! Your photos are gorgeous and makes me jealous! ;)
I LOVE Indian food and lately (with moderate success) have been trying to re-create my favourites at home. And I just acquired some samples from Arvinda and am dying to try them out! Preena is so fabulous!
Chana masala is one of my all-time favourite dishes. I made this dish last night for dinner, only I added spinach to mine and served over brown rice.
I’m excited for the sketchie pictures! Haha err… pictures of sketchie. the cat. I’m sure all of your pics will be legit.
I LOVE spice and I LOVE Indian food! So much so that I went to India for 6 weeks to try it all! I make it all the time now. Love love love!
I am a spicy food lover! The hotter the better ;) I’ve never had Indian food, but now that I’m more open to trying new things maybe I should give it a shot!
I loooove Indian food! My husband isn’t as adventurous but hopefully I can get him there ;-)
I absolutely love Indian food, and I do try to create the meals at home. Usually, they are not very successful. I buy naan and veggie samosas at the grocery store, and make a big batch of rice. Then, I’ll either heat up a package of the Indian Fare from Trader Joe’s, or I’ll attempt to make my own dish(which usually which up tasting more Mexican than Indian… whatever).
I love Indian food! I’ve tried making it at home before, but my version is never quite as good as the “real thing!” (also, my husband HATES how the smell seems to take over our whole house!) I definitely like my food spicy, too!
Historically, I’ve always disliked spicy foods. Not sure why, but they just weren’t my cup of tea. Lately I’ve been better, though. I’ve been making myself try things even if they typically would be in that “too spicy I don’t wanna eat it” category. I’m not quite as sensitive to the spice anymore, so I’ve been branching out.
I still find most spicy Indian food to be too hot for me though! Yikes!
I don’t usually think to recreate things I’ve had when out. I think it comes from so many years as a person who didn’t cook. I’m starting to get better though, so maybe it’s time to start taking notes when I eat out!
I have both of those Arvinda spice mixes; that will be my lunch next week. Thanks for the inspiration!
Mmmmmm, chana masala is SO comforting and warming during the cold months of fall and winter! Love it!
Congrats on the new blog feature– great idea for showcasing your beautiful photography!
Those Arvinda spice mixes look amazing – I have been looking for a product like that. Any idea if you can buy them in the U.S.? Their website indicates they’ve stopped shipping here.
I’m not sure, I would try contacting them via their website to see :)