Channa Masala, Aloo Palak and Pure Deliciousness

While living in London, I naturally developed an obsession with Indian food. Sure, I’d had Indian food before in California, in Budapest, hell, even in India, but it was never something that was on my everyday radar. Well, moving to London changed all that. The first Indian meal I remember going to in London was to Preem and Prithi for Lauren’s birthday. That meal signified the beginning of the obsession. I’ve been hard pressed to find an Indian dish that can even compare. I was close to giving up. I had resigned myself to Trader Joe’s frozen Indian meals. Not bad considering they come from a microwave, but just not good.

 

Yesterday, while I was in Trader Joe’s, I was looking at the Channa Masala box. Despite having purchased it many times, for some odd reason I decided to look at the ingredients. Once, I realized that I had all of these ingredients at home in already, I hatched a genius idea of making my own Indian food! Best idea I’ve had all week. Maybe even all year.

Just trust me when I say that you need to make this right now. You can thank me later.

Channa Masala (adapted from this recipe)

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 5 tablespoons diced tomatoes (I used canned, diced tomatoes with garlic and onions)
• 1/2 cup broth (I used vegetable broth)
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to brown. Add garlic. Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, and turmeric. Stir until combined and cook for 30 seconds or so. Stir in the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the paprika, garam masala, salt, and lemon juice. Cover and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

 

Allo Palak (adapted from this recipe)

• 1 1/4 cup frozen spinach
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno, diced
• 4 small waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• vegetable broth (if needed)

Boil peeled and cubed potatoes until done. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Cook spinach, garlic, onions, jalapeno, ginger until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Once soft, remove from pan, place in blender and blend into a puree.

Heat remaining butter in pan, add cumin and heat until fragrant. Add spinach mixture and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in potatoes, garam masala, coriander and a dash of broth if needed. Simmer for a few minutes to let the potatoes absorb the flavor.