Curried Chickpeas with Fresh Ginger and Cilantro
- 2 cups dried chickpeas 6 cups water
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup sesame or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1½ teaspoons pure chile powder
- 1½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Yogurt, for serving (optional)
- 3 fresh serrano chiles, seeded, deveined, and cut into julienne, for garnish
- A few fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Instructions:
In this popular recipe, the spices and fresh ingredients are added at the very end of the cooking time to preserve optimum flavor and freshness.
- Thoroughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the chickpeas are tender.
- In a large sauté pan, brown the onion in the sesame oil until dark brown in color, about 15 minutes.
- Combine the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, chile powder, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, and cayenne in an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse powder.
- Add the coarsely ground spices to the onion and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, then add the onion and spices to the cooked chickpeas. Recover and continue cooking for another 30 to 60 minutes.
- Using a handheld immersion blender, purée some of the chickpeas in the insert to thicken the mixture.
- Add salt to taste, then stir in the lemon juice. Ladle into bowls, add a dollop of yogurt, and garnish with the chile slices and cilantro leaves.