i often joke with mike that if i started another blog, it would be called the lazy chef. because even though i love to cook and bake, i cut corners whenever possible. i try to use less bowls, reduce the number of steps, measure things loosely, and never, ever sift my flour. so when one of my close friends suggested i make this amazing meal, i looked at the recipe, saw the number of hours it takes to cook, and thought: “there’s no way i’m making this. ever.”
but then i looked at the recipe again. and realized it has very few steps and ingredients – even less than the chana masala i made years ago. and that, plus her raving about how delicious it tastes, convinced me to make it after all.
oh, and as an aside – have we ever talked about the easiest/laziest way to dice onions? follow the pics above: 1) cut the ends off the onion and discard the skin; 2) cut the onion in half; 3) make two slices from the top of the onion to almost the other end; 4) make more slices the other direction; 5) then dice!
the actual prep time was incredibly short, and i just let it cook on low for hours while i did other things – multi-tasking at its best, because the delicious smell permeated our whole home. so do not let the long simmer time stop you from making this recipe. there’s something about letting this dish simmer for so long that changes the flavor and magnifies all the ingredients. i can’t wait to make it again this week!
- one year ago: home fries and corn, quinoa, and bell pepper soup
- two years ago: vegan brownies with peanut butter frosting and rice pilaf
- three years ago: simple stir fry and cilantro rice
- four years ago: lentil dal and pumpkin bread
- five years ago: rice and bean soup and pizza sauce
chana masala, slow version
yields 6 main dish servings
adapted from real simple
- 2T butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2T tomato paste
- 2t garam masala spice blend
- 1 x 15oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 2 x 15oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4t salt
- 1/4t pepper
- 1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/4c cilantro leaves, washed and picked from the stems
- 1/4t salt
- 1/4t pepper
- 1T lemon juice
- 4c water
- 2c jasmine rice
- 1/2c lite coconut milk
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- melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat
- sauté the onion in the butter for 5 minutes, or until translucent
- add the garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine
- turn the heat down to low and allow to cook for four hours or more
- while that’s cooking, combine the cucumber slices, cilantro leaves, lemon juice, salt, and pepper
- toss the cucumber relish ingredients together, then cover and put in the refrigerator while the chana masala cooks
- about 30 minutes before the chana masala is ready, boil 4c of water in a separate pan
- add the rice, cover, turn down to low, and allow to cook for 20 minutes
- right before serving, add the coconut milk to the chana masala and stir to combine
- serve the chana masala with rice and cucumbers, and enjoy!
