chana masala is an indian chickpeas recipe: as all pulses, chickpeas are a great source of plant-based proteins. to fully benefit from them couple your chickpeas with some rice. find recipe below.

quantities for 2 portions

ingredients

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• chickpeas (normal or decorticated): 250g boiled, 120 raw dried
• tomato sauce: 350g
• garlic: 1 big clove
• onion: 1/2
• chana masala: 2 full teaspoons
• juice of half a lemon
• salt
• sugar
• lemon juice (optional)
• coriander (optional)

note: chana masala (picture below) is a mix of spices you can find in ethnic shops. if you don’t have it, you can mix the following spices - or just the ones you have among these: chili pepper, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, tumeric, dry mango powder.

procedure

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1. if they are not canned, boil your chickpeas: find our suggestions for cooking pulses here.

2. heat some extra virgin oil in a pan and when it’s hot, add the masala spice and stir it while it boils. this will bring out all the flavor.

3. mince the garlic and onion and sauté them with the masala, then add the chickpeas

4. add the tomato sauce, with a pinch of salt and sugar (that will help make the tomato less acidic) and half a glass of water

5. cook at low heat with a lid for 25 minutes

6. once the time has passed, turn off the heat. serve with rice and garnish with coriander and lemon juice if you like!

pilaf rice

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1. warm some extra-virgin olive oil in a small pot

2. add the rice and toast it for 1-2 minutes

3. add water, salt and pepper and cover till complete absorption. the ratio of rice and water and the cooking time varies according to the type of rice you use: for basmati rice the ratio is 1:1 and the cooking is 10 minutes

for more info on pilaf rice check here.