Want to know

Update: Starting this post, I will try and list the places where you can procure ingredients that feature in the recipe, if it is not a regular pantry item. Since I am currently located in Hyderabad, I will be featuring places from this city, and the areas I am familiar with. Readers are welcome to leave their comments about availability of such ingredients in other parts of Hyd / other cities.

--------------

A few weeks ago, a fellow foodie friend dropped by home and told us how he loves to dish out Moroccan food in his kitchen and how he managed to get a local potter to make him the tagine dish too! The foodie in me did not need more kindling than that to start craving a hot pot of Moroccan stew with robust flavours, not very unlike our Indian flavours.

My first brush with Moroccan cuisine was in the Momo Moroccan restaurant in London a few years ago. The vegetable stew and couscous was just perfectly spiced and delicious to suit my vegetarian palate. Chickpeas are another common ingredient in Moroccan cuisine and a chickpea stew sounded like the perfect way to satisfy the cravings.

You can easily pair this stew with some hearty bread like ciabatta or a rye loaf. Couscous is fairly easily available in most Metros. [See end of post on where to buy couscous in Hyderabad.] I usually give a laundry list of foodie items to the husband when he travels abroad and he is only too happy to comply.I dont call him my (eating) partner for nothing!

I adapted from a Food Network recipe - Recipe courtesy Dave Liebermann

Serves 2

1/2 cup dried chickpeas

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, crushed roughly
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 cups water plus 2 cubes Maggie Super seasoning or 3 cups of Vegetable stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 cups of fresh greens (I used spinach)

Soak the chickpeas in lot of water with a pinch of baking soda (optional) for 6-12 hours

Drain the chickpeas - cover with 2 cups water and pressure cook for 10 minutes, till soft but not mushy. Keep aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil. Saute the onion and garlic on a low flame till soft and cooked, around 7-8 minutes.

Add the spice powders, chopped tomatoes, boiled chickpeas with water and seasoning cubes.

Taste before adding salt as the seasoning cubes contain salt.

Simmer for 7-8 minutes on low flame for the chickpeas to absorb the flavours and the tomatoes to cook.

Add the roughly chopped greens. These will wilt in a couple of minutes.

Grind some black pepper on the top and serve hot / warm with bread or couscous.

For directions on How to Prepare Couscous, check my post on Couscous with roasted Vegetables

SPAR - Begumpet

QMart - Road 2, Banjara Hills

Hypercity - Inorbit Mall, Cyberabad

Deli 9, various outlets

Sweet Nirvana Patisserie, Madhapur

Beyond Coffee, Road 36 Jubilee Hills

Ingredients for Minted chickpeas recipe

1 Cup dried chickpeas or 1 Tin cooked chickpeas
1 Onion
2 Garlic cloves
1 Zucchini (diced)
2-3 Carrots (diced)
2 Flat mushrooms (diced)
280ml Water
1 + 1/2 tsp Dried parsley
1 tsp Dried chives
1/2 tsp Dried mint
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Yeast extract
1 tsp Mild curry powder
2 Tbsp Tomato puree
Salt and Pepper
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Pictures of minted chickpeas with mashed potatoes.

Place onion into a blender with garlic blend until it is a smooth paste.

Heat up a large pan on a medium high heat, drizzle in a little oil and add the onion mixture.

Keep stiring and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the curry powder, tomato puree, water, bay leaf, parsley, mint and chives. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Rinse the chickpeas and place into the pressure cooker, fill with water up to an inch above the chickpeas, bring to full pressure then turn down to the lowest heat for 30 minutes.

Release pressure then stir through some salt.

Do not add salt to the pan until after cooking or else the chickpeas will cook hard.

Once mushrooms are cooked drain the water off half to three quarters of the chickpeas and add to the tomato mint sauce.

Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, fresh crispy bread or just as it is hot or cold.

Enjoy Jeenas Kitchen minted chickpeas recipe.