Chickpea Vindaloo

I was flipping through my giant binder of recipes I've collected and drafted over the years and found a recipe for chickpea vindaloo that used to be one of my very favorite ways to enjoy chickpeas. Somehow or other, I haven't made it for at least a year but the cold temperatures here made this a perfect choice for dinner — hearty and filling, the buttery chickpeas are simmered with potatoes in a wonderful warming, spicy and fragrant broth with vindaloo seasonings. It was every bit as yummy as I remembered it. In the past, I have also replaced the potatoes with fried cubes of paneer cheese, if you want to try that instead.

On the menu with carrot rice.

Chickpea Vindaloo

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on January 3, 2008 Hearty and nourishing chickpeas and potatoes simmered in a warming spicy and fragrant Vindaloo-style broth Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup dried chickpeas (3 cups cooked or 2 14 oz cans) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 2 to 3 fresh red or green chilies, seeded and chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric 1 cinnamon stick 3 green cardamom pods 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon cayenne 2 cups white mushrooms, sliced 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 potatoes, diced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2/3 cup plain yogurt 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper to taste Instructions: Rinse the chickpeas and soak overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with 4 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are buttery soft. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and set aside. Wipe the saucepan clean and set over medium heat. Heat the oil, then add the onion and cook for 3 or 4 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the ginger, garlic, chilies, ground spices, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and bay leaf. Stir for a couple of minutes to let the spices and cinnamon become fragrant. Increase the heat to high and stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in the vinegar. Now add the cooked chickpeas, the potatoes, the tomato paste, yogurt, salt and pepper, and 1 1/4 cups of the reserved chickpea cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add more of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary to achieve a stew-like consistency. Discard the cinnamon, cardamom pods and bay leaf. Serve hot. Makes 5 to 6 servings