Chana Punjabi

Ingredients:

• 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 (we usually make 2c brown rice with 3c water in the rice cooker for the four of us)

Directions:

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.

From http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/03/heather-carluccirodriguezs-chana-punjabi.html