Chana Masala #2

This tasty and healthy dish isn't quite authentic, but I still enjoy it very much. It's the same recipe as Chana Masala #1 but I've doubled it because it's so good, but a little labor-intensive to make.

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp. coriander, ground

• 2 tsp. cumin, ground

• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, ground

• 1 tsp. turmeric, ground

• 1 medium tomato, diced

• 6 oz. to 8 oz. water

• 2 15 oz. cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed (can also use 2 19 oz. cans)

• 2 tsp. paprika

• 1 tsp. garam masala

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 2 jalapeños, stemmed and minced

• 2 tbsp. ginger, minced

Here's the mise en place, except for the chickpeas. The green stuff is minced jalapeños, with ribs and seeds. This might be a little spicy!

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric. Stir thoroughly and heat for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, cook for a minute.

Add the water and chickpeas, increase the heat to bring to boil. If using 19 oz. cans of chickpeas you'll probably need closer to 8 oz. water.

Reduce the heat to simmer, add the paprika, garam masala, salt, lemon juice, jalapeño, and ginger. Cook for 10 minutes.

Serves 4. If you make it with 19 oz. cans of chickpeas you can get 5 servings leaving everything else the same.

If the sauce is too thin at the end, you can crush a few of the chickpeas with a spoon and stir into the sauce to thicken it, or just let it simmer a little longer. There should be a little liquid still, but not soup. Like this:

Since I was going to vacuum seal and freeze the servings, the easiest thing to do is just put the whole pot in a sink full of cold water. The liquid will congeal, making it easier to divide the servings, too.

Garam masala is a dried spice mixture that can be found in Indian markets.

This recipe was based off a recipe on seriouseats.com, which I can no longer find. That recipe, however, was based off: http://www.recipezaar.com/Channa-Masala-17471

I vacuum seal and freeze the portions. Each was about 8.0 oz. in this batch. I flatten them out as much as possible (without crushing the chickpeas, of course), because they fit in the freezer better that way, and also reheat more easily.

To reheat, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen vacuum-sealed bag and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. This makes a great quick lunch when reheated.

Update10/17/2013: I've since reduced the portion size to 6.0 oz., making five portions with two 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, and that seems like a big enough portion for me.