Das's chickpea curry
Ingredients:
Olive oil, to fry
1/2 cinnamon quill
3 cardamom pods, crushed
2 cloves
Pinch fennel seeds
4 garlic cloves, chopped
A thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
3 onions, chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 level tsp chilli powder
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 level tsp garam masala
1 heaped tsp tomato paste
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained
200ml light coconut milk
100g baby spinach
Bunch coriander, leaves picked, chopped
Step 1:
Put a wide pan over medium heat, and once hot, add a good drizzle of olive oil, the cinnamon quill, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger and green chilli. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 15-20 minutes until soft and golden.
Put a wide pan over medium heat, and once hot, add a good drizzle of olive oil, the cinnamon quill, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger and green chilli. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 15-20 minutes until soft and golden.
Step 2:
Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander, garam masala, tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Add the tomatoes, then 450ml water. Bring to a boil, then add the chickpeas. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Step 3:
Reduce the heat to low and pour in the coconut milk. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, until well combined, adding the spinach to wilt for the last couple of minutes. Season to taste. Remove the pan from the heat, scatter with the coriander leaves and serve.
