BLACKENED CHICKPEA CURRY

following such success with soaking and cooking chickpeas from dry whilst living in madrid, i was excited to try out more chickpea creations on my return to oz. unfortunately, due to a dodge bag of sun-dried chickpeas my enthusiasm faded - but i did give this vegan blackened chickpea curry a whack with pretty descent results. 

how? 

1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas

5 cups of water

1 1/4 teaspoons of salt

2 teabags

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

3/4 cup of onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons of garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons of ginger, finely chopped

2 teaspoons of green chilies, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper)

1 1/2 teaspoons of tamarind paste

1 tablespoon of ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala 

2 tablespoons of fresh coriander (for garnish)

1/4 cup of red onion, sliced (for garnish)

4 tomato slices (for garnish) 

to start you will need to rinse and soak your chickpeas for at least 6 hours. drain off the soaking water and place your soaked chickpeas into a pressure cooker with 4 cups of the water. bring this to the boil and cook for 3-4 mins. whilst cooking, skim off any foam that forms. cover with the pressure cooker lid and set the weight in place. cook on medium high until you reach pressure. reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 17 mins. whilst this is cooking bring 1 cup of water to the boil and add the teabags to steep for 10 mins. 

cool the pressure cooker and open the lid. check the chickpeas for tenderness (they should squash easily when pressed against the side of the pot with a spoon). heat the oil in a separate pan ove high heat and add the cumin seeds and toast until golden brown. add the onion and cook for 2-3 mins. add the garlic, ginger and chilies (or cayenne) and cook for a few seconds. drain the chickpeas and add them to the onion mix along with the tea water, tamarind, ground coriander and garam masala. bring to the boil, reduce heat and cover. simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. 

once thickened to a stew-like consistency your chickpea curry is ready to serve garnished with the fresh coriander, sliced red onion and tomato. 

serves 4