Kabuli Chana Ko Tarkari- Nepali Chickpea Curry

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Although I’ve drastically reduced the amount of meat and animal products I consume over the past decade or so, I’ve never truly considered becoming a vegan on a long-term basis.  But I have considered doing short term experiments, similar to my past cleanses.  Kenji over at Serious Eats did 28 days of vegan eating this past month and had a great experience.

Of course, adding a gluten-free requirement adds another layer of difficulty, but I have no doubt that you could still eat extremely well, even without any animal products.  What would be my crutch in times of difficulty?  South Asian food.  There are so many delicious Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepali, etc. foods that you realize are vegan only in retrospect.

That was the case for this Nepali chickpea curry.  It’s a fresh and healthy meal that will fill you up without bulking you up.  I love chickpeas because they’re so versatile and buttery; they work just as well in a heavy, coconut-milk based curry as they do in this brighter, lemony dish.  And although I didn’t set out to create vegan dishes this week (a couple more recipes are in the pipeline), but I’m always happy to post dishes that will work for all readers regardless of dietary restrictons.

How about you guys- ever consider going gluten-free and vegan?

Kabuli Chana Ko Tarkari- Nepali Chickpea Curry

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

* 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
* 6-8 cups water
* 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
* 3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
* 1 Jalapeno pepper, minced
* 1 teaspoon turmeric
* 1 teaspoon garam masala
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:

Drain the chickpeas and combine in a large saucepan with 6 cups of water. Cover and simmer, adding more water if necessary, until tender. When the chickpeas are finished cooking, add the tomatoes and heat through.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden. Add the ginger and Jalapeno pepper and cook, stirring for one minute. Add the turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander and salt and mix to coat the onion mixture.

Pour the onion mixture into the cooked chickpeas and let the mixture simmer on low heat to allow the flavors to meld. Add the lemon juice and cilantro leaves. Taste and adjust salt, if necessary.

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