An Indian Feast

The other day I had a craving for Indian food, so off I went to find some new and exciting recipes. Clockwise from top, we have chana masala with spinach (recipe to follow), naan, and gobi aloo. The chana masala was awesome; so was the naan; the gobi aloo left much to be desired despite its five-star rating on VegWeb.com.

For the naan, I just substituted soymilk for the dairy milk, Ener-G egg replacer for the egg, and I left out the garlic. Matt cooked the naan on our outdoor grill and it was so yummy. (As a funny aside, Matt observed that several of the naan bread pieces bore a striking resemblance to chicken breast, with their pasty complexion and dark grill marks.)

On to the recipe, which is likely none too authentic, but still delicious, and which I based on this...

Chana Masala

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 - 15 oz cans of chick peas, drained, reserving 1/4 cup liquid
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper
crushed red pepper, optional to taste
2 tablespoons margarine
large bunch of fresh spinach, chopped

Heat oil on medium heat. Fry onions until translucent. Add garlic, curry powder, and ketchup. Stir and simmer about 2 minutes. Add chickpeas, liquid, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add red pepper to taste. Add margarine, stirring through to melt it. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes more or until chickpeas are softened and dish is hot. Add chopped spinach and stir for a couple of minutes until spinach is wilted. This is good served over brown rice, barley, or scooped up with pieces of naan bread.

Enjoy! And let me know if you have a better gobi aloo recipe for me to try.