Bombay Mahal Channa Masala, just about ready to serve
Bombay Mahal is the oldest Indian restaurant in Maine, founded in the 1990s, and the proprietors were kind enough to share their recipe and cooking techniques in a virtual Yelp class. It’s hard to find a more virtuous dish than channa masala: it’s nutritious, cheap, filling and with this recipe delicious. Makes about 4 main dish servings or more if you serve with other dishes.
Ingredients:
3 T neutral vegetable oil
1 T cumin seeds
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 T ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 T garlic, peeled and finely chopped
½ t turmeric
½ t coriander powder
½ t cumin powder
½ t salt or more to taste
½ t ground cayenne or more to taste
1 large tomato, cored and seeded and finely chopped
1-2 c water at room temperature*
2 c cooked chickpeas from 16-oz can, drained, or equivalent amount of chickpeas cooked from scratch (save the liquid for aquafaba)
1 large potato, peeled and boiled till just tender then cut into 1 inch cubes
1 t garam masala
1 T finely chopped cilantro
Method: heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add cumin seeds; fry and stir for a minute until they become fragrant and start to pop. Add most of the onion and fry until translucent but not browned. Add turmeric, coriander powder and cumin powder and fry a minute or two to release flavor. (The recipe takes less than half an hour from start to finish but each step is very deliberate. Add ingredients, let them develop flavor or blend with other ingredients, then add more.)
Our Yelp virtual cooking class in progress.
Add tomato and 2 T water, lower heat and cover and simmer a few minutes to blend flavors. Add chickpeas, potato, garam masala and ½ T chopped cilantro and cook a few minutes. The sauce should thicken somewhat into a gravy vs a soup. Serve in bowls with a garnish of remaining chopped onion and cilantro; serve yogurt, naan and/or rice on the side if you like.
*The original recipe calls for 2 cups of water but I found that made a recipe which was more soup than stew. Recommend starting with 1 c (plus the 2 T earlier in the recipe) and adding more if needed.
