Planes, Trains, and Running Shoes

Chickpea and Spinach Curry - Vegan with a Vengeance, Isa Chandra Moskowitz

*Notes: This recipe serves 6-8 people, since I was only cooking myself, I divided everything by 4 and it made just enough for me! The original recipe called for ground coriander, asafoetida and cardamom pods - none of which I had - so I simply left them out and the recipe still came out fantastic! I did some Google searches and everyone seemed to serve it with brown or white rice, but I served it by itself with a mini whole wheat pita (since I didn't have naan, you know!)


Here's my single serving take on the recipe:

- 1/4 of a can of whole tomatoes (about 4 whole tomatoes)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
- 1/4 of a yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger
- 1/4 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups spinach
- 1 cup chickpeas

Prepare the tomatoes by removing them one at a time from the can, squeezing out the juice, and tearing them into bite-size pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice from those tomatoes in a separate bowl.

Preheat a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat; pour in the vegetable oil and then the mustard seeds. Cover. Let the seeds pop for about 1 minute. (Careful! These burn very quickly!) Add the onion and saute until the onions begin to brown (about 7-10 minutes). Add garlic and ginger and saute 2 more minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, salt and tomato juice. Saute 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and heat through. (If you need too, add more tomato juice). Add handfuls of spinach, mix until wilted before adding each handful. When the mixture is liquid-y, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until a thick stew-like consistency is achieve.

Serve on its own or rice and enjoy!