Nesavinov/Bigstock
The vegan chickpea curry recipe from Hudson Valley cookbook author Nava Atlas will warm up your senses and can be made in a flash.
An easy chickpea curry (also known as chana masala) is an always welcome, practically last-minute meal. Indian simmer sauces are a shortcut to great flavor. This new favorite shortcut of mine makes any dish you make taste like it came from a great Indian restaurant. Would you like to use a local brand? Maya Kaimal simmer sauces are made in Rhinebeck.
Indian simmer sauces are available in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets, natural foods stores, and online. For this dish, some of my favorite dairy-free varieties to use include Madras curry (which is fairly spicy), Goan coconut, rogan josh, and jalfrezi.
Vegan Chana Masala Chickpea Curry
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil or other vegetable oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked from scratch)
15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
12-ounce jar Indian simmer sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh or squeeze-bottle ginger
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, or more, to taste
Hot cooked rice (delicious with Basmati), optional
Method:
Heat the oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or two over low heat.
Stir the chickpeas, tomatoes, simmer sauce, and ginger into the pan and heat to a rapid simmer. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve over hot cooked grains if you’d like.
Recipe by Nava Atlas, courtesy of The Vegan Atlas.
