Mmmm Monday: Chickpea Masala

Over the last couple of weeks the pace of life has really picked up at the farm. You may have noticed, as our blog posts have dropped as a result of the hectic pace. But, we haven't forgotten about our blog- and we're still making and eating delicious, nutritious and easy food at Hill Giant Farm. Because R is vegetarian, M has picked up some pretty tasty vegetarian meal/side dish ideas over the years. One of our favourites is Chickpea Masala. Masala is a common vegetarian dish in Indian cuisine and can be made as spicy or as mild as desired. You'll find our recipe, and some ideas on how to make it more or less spicy, below.

Chickpea Masala

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, pressed/minced
2 Tbsp ginger (fresh would be tasty, but dry will do just fine too)
2 tsp each coriander, cumin and garam masala (garam masala can be bought in most grocery stores and Clubhouse makes a lovely version for a reasonable price)
2 tsp chili powder (if you want it spicy, if not, skip it)
1/2 cup tomato paste (or 1 small can of pizza sauce and 3 Tbsp of flour)
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cans (19 oz/540 ml each) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-heat high heat cook onions and garlic stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add ginger, coriander, cumin, and garam masala (chilli powder too if using it). Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. The smell is absolutely delicious and will stay in the house for the evening!
3. Stir in 1 cup of water, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and chickpeas. Scrape up any brown bits and put them back in the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer until it has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.


The total prep time is approx. 30 minutes. When you serve it, add a dollop of plain yogurt to the centre of the bowl. This will enhance the fragrant flavour and will cool the spice nicely. It's really a delicious dish. We hope you try it and love it. Let us know!