CHICKPEA MASALA
This is by far one of the most successful dishes I have ever made for dinner (or lunch, it’s good for either meal) and one I’m very proud of!
Everything started when we bought a box of Saffron Road Chickpea masala soups from Costco: not that I am a fan of prepared foods (I actually rarely eat them) but sometimes, when you don’t have anything ready to eat and you’re starving, these ready-made soups that you just have to heat-up are a lifesaver!
What I do not like of these ready-made soups is that they’re usually loaded with salt and therefore very high in sodium, which is not really ideal for our body … I took a pouch of this soup, read the ingredients and figured that I could easily make this myself – and the good thing is, you can make a large pot of it and freeze some portions to be eaten at a later time, in one of those nights in which you have nothing else ready!
It took me a few trials before perfecting my recipe and now that winter is behind the corner and soups for dinner sound like an amazing idea, I’m ready to start preparing it again!
You can eat it like this or add some cooked basmati rice, brown rice or quinoa to make it a bit more filling (for lunch, for example): this soup is vegan and of course gluten-free. You can make it more or less salty, depending on your taste … I’m not really a fan of salt and I tend to cook with less salt than needed, but this totally adjustable to everyone’s taste
Give it a try, especially if you love oriental-style soups and you prefer plant-based proteins over animal ones, I promise this is going to be a winner!!
One important thing before you start: if you have the time to soak overnight and cook your own chickpeas, please do so!!! Like I’ve said for hummus, soaking your chickpeas and thoroughly cooking them (and maybe even removing the skin from most of them) not only gives them a way better flavor but also reduces the chances of getting bloated/gas. In fact, during the soaking process (which needs to account for at least 8 hours), the chickpeas (like every other legume) release the anti-nutrients they’re rich in that are the number one cause of gas in our intestine!
Prep Time | 40 minutes |
Servings |
people
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- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 red chili pepper sliced
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 medium vine tomatoes diced
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 30 oz cooked chickpeas
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- If you are using dried chickpeas: measure about half cup and soak them overnight (or at least 8 hours) in purified room-temperature water.
- The next day (or at end of the 8 hours), discard the soaking water, rinse them thoroughly and place them in a cooking pan with fresh water: let them cook till they are soft but not mushy, they usually take between 30 and 50 minutes, but in the end it all depends on the kind of chickpeas you’re using.
- Once the chickpeas are done, drain them, put them on a side and start preparing the masala soup.
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the red onion, the chili pepper and the bell pepper and cook until they have softened and begin to brown, about 15 minutes. If needed, add a bit of white wine.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chopped cilantro and cook until they become fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the spices and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, broth and coconut milk. Let cook for about 10 minutes, then - using an immersion blender – carefully puree the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the chickpeas and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
- Finally, add the spinach and cook until it has wilted.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges.
- Serve immediately topped with the cilantro or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze in single-portion containers but be sure the soup is at room temperature before you place it in the freezer.
Prep Time | 40 Minuti |
Servings |
Persone
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- 1 cucchiaio di olio di avocado o di oliva
- 1/2 cipolla rossa tagliata a dadini
- 1 peperone tagliato a cubetti
- 1 peperoncino rosso tagliato a cubetti
- 3 spicchi d'aglio tritati grossolanamente
- 1/2 tazza di coriandolo fresco tritato
- 1 cucchiaino di zenzero fresco grattugiato
- 1 cucchiaio di paprika affumicata
- 1 cucchiaino di Garam Masala spezia
- 1 cucchiaino di curcuma
- 1 cucchiaino di cumino
- 3 pomodori a grappolo medi tagliati a dadini
- 1/2 tazza di brodo vegetale
- 1 lattina di latte di cocco
- 850 g di ceci cotti preferibilmente NON quelli in lattina
- 100 g di spinacini grossolanamente affettati
- Sale e pepe a piacere
Ingredients
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- Se usate i ceci secchi: prendetene circa 400g (tendono a raddoppiare durante l’ammollo) e metteteli a bagno per una notte (o almeno 8 ore) in acqua a temperatura ambiente.
- Il giorno successivo (o al termine delle 8 ore), scartate l'acqua di ammollo, sciacquateli abbondantemente e metteteli in una pentola con acqua fresca: lasciateli cuocere fino a quando sono morbidi ma non troppo molli, di solito ci si impiega dai 30 ai 50 minuti, ma alla fine dipende dal tipo di ceci che stai usando.
- Una volta cotti i ceci, scolateli, metteteli da parte e iniziate a preparare la zuppa Masala.
- In una casseruola capiente, scaldate l'olio di avocado o oliva a fuoco medio-alto. Aggiungete la cipolla rossa, il peperoncino e il peperone e cuocete finché non si saranno ammorbiditi e inizieranno a dorarsi, circa 15 minuti. Se necessario, aggiungete un po' di vino bianco.
- Aggiungete l'aglio, lo zenzero e il coriandolo tritato e cuocete finché non diventano fragranti, circa 1 minuto.
- Aggiungete le spezie e fate cuocere per altri 30 secondi.
- Aggiungete i pomodori, il brodo e il latte di cocco. Lasciate cuocere per circa 10 minuti, quindi - utilizzando un frullatore ad immersione - frullate per bene il tutto.
- Condite con sale e pepe a piacere.
- Aggiungete i ceci e cuocete per 5-10 minuti.
- Infine aggiungete gli spinaci e spegnete la fiamma, gli spinaci appassiranno con il calore.
- Guarnite con altre foglie di coriandolo e spicchi di lime.
- Servite immediatamente, o conservate in frigorifero per un massimo di 5 giorni.
- Potete anche decidere di congelare la zuppa in contenitori mono-dose, ma rassicuratevi che la zuppa sia a temperatura ambiente prima di congelarla.