Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ulysses.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!nlm From: nlm@ulysses.UUCP (Nancy Mintz) Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Chickpeas in Tamarind Sauce Message-ID: <10006@ulysses.UUCP> Date: Mon, 4-Mar-85 17:57:55 EST Article-I.D.: ulysses.10006 Posted: Mon Mar 4 17:57:55 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 5-Mar-85 03:24:12 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 108 This is a fairly thick souplike dish, with a tangy brownish-red sauce. It keeps well, and is really better on the 3rd day (if there's any left then!). As a variation, you can use cauliflower or potatoes instead of chickpeas. If using potatoes, simmer a little longer at the end. The recipe is from Julie Sahni's "Classic Indian Cooking", with a couple of adjustments from an Indian cooking class I attended. Enjoy! Nancy Mintz ulysses!nlm AT&T-Bell Labs, Room 5D-115, 600 Mountain Ave, Murray Hill, NJ 07974 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chickpeas in Tamarind Sauce 2 20-oz cans chickpeas or 4 cups cooked chickpeas with 1 cup liquid 2" ball tamarind pulp [see note below] 1/2 cup light vegetable oil 2 cups thinly sliced onions 2 tsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cayenne 3/4 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp coriander dash chili powder 1 cup fresh chopped tomato 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root 1 1/4 tsp garam masala [see recipe below] or 1 tsp cinnamon fresh coriander leaves (aka "cilantro") 1. Put the tamarind pulp in a small bowl, add 1 1/2 cups boiling water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Mash the pulp with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Strain the liquid into another small bowl, squeezing the pulp as much as possible, and set aside. Discard the fibrous residue. 2. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 cup liquid. 3. Tear off coriander leaves (discard the stems) and put in bowl of cool water. 4. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and fry until they shrivel and turn caramel brown (about 20 minutes), stirring constantly so they do not burn. (Be especially careful during the last 5 minutes or so - the onions will burn almost instantly if you don't stir 'em.) Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 5. Add all spices except the garam masala, stir rapidly for a moment. Add the chopped tomatoes and ginger shreds. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the oil begins to separate from the gravy (about 5 minutes). 6. Pour off any water standing on top of the tamarind juice. Add the tamarind juice and the reserved chickpea liquid to the tomato-spice gravy. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. 7. Add drained chickpeas and continue cooking for at least 10 minutes. (I put it on a *low* simmer for 30 - 45 minutes so. This gives the chickpeas time to absorb more of the spice flavors). 8. Drain and chop the coriander leaves. Just before serving, stir in the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with plain yogurt on the side. Garam Masala (makes about 1 1/2 cups) 3 Tbsp (about 20) black or 2 Tbsp (about 75) green cardamom pods 3 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches long 1 Tbsp whole cloves 1/4 cup black peppercorns 1/2 cup cumin seeds 1/2 cup coriander seeds 1. Break open cardamom pods. Remove seeds and reserve. Discard the skin. Crush cinnamon with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin to break it into small pieces. 2. Heat a heavy frying pan, preferably iron, for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add all spices and roast over medium heat, stirring and shaking the pan constantly to prevent burning. For the first minute or two, nothing will happen - the spices are losing their moisture during this time - and then all of a sudden they will start to brown. This is a crucial period: if you don't watch them carefully and stir them constantly, they will burn almost instantly. As the spices brown they will begin to smoke, releasing the sweet fragrance of roasting spices. Roast them until they turn dark brown, turning down the heat a little if they seem to be browning too quickly. The time will depend upon the amount of spice being roasted relative to the size of the pan - the larger the pan, the faster the spices will brown. 3. Take the browned spices out of the pan immediately and put them into a clean dry bowl to cool. Once cool, grind them in a coffee mill, a spice mill or an electric blender. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Note: Tamarind is the pulpy pod, resembling a pea pod, of the tropical plant Tamarindus indica, native to India. Tamarind pods, when fully mature, are plucked, peeled, and pitted, and the pulp is compressed into 'cakes'. These cakes are available in Indian grocery stores.