Tamarind Chickpeas Recipes

TAMARIND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan, fry the nigella and fennel seeds for about 10 seconds. Add the onion and cook gently for 8-10 minutes until golden.
• Mix in the tomatoes, chillies, sugar, paprika, turmeric and chickpeas. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the tamarind and coriander. Add the spinach leaves and stir gently until they've just wilted. Serve with yogurt and chapatis.

TAMARIND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water and soak overnight in a bowl covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added.
• Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas and add to a medium saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are soft and buttery. Drain and set aside.
• Wipe the saucepan dry and set over medium heat. When the pan is hot again, add the olive oil, wait a moment or two, then swirl to coat the pan. Toss in the nigella and fennel seeds, stir once, then add the onion. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and starting to brown at the edges.
• Stir in the tomatoes, half of the green chilies, sugar, cayenne and turmeric. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes to let the tomatoes reduce. Now stir in the chickpeas, tamarind paste and coriander, then the spinach. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spinach is just wilted.
• Remove from heat and serve on Indian flatbreads or on a bed of white rice, dressed with a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt and the remainder of the fresh green chilies.

TAMARIND-SPICED CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat oil spray in large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add small amounts of water as needed to keep onions from burning.
• Add cumin, coriander and cayenne to skillet and stir to coat onion with spices.
• Cook for one minute then add diced tomatoes, with their juice, water, sugar, red pepper flakes and tamarind concentrate. Stir to mix well.
• Add chickpeas and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

TANGY TAMARIND CHICKPEAS - KHATA IMLEE CHANA (SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• Place the chickpeas and water in a 5 quart slow cooker .
• In a food processor, puree all of the remaining ingredients, except the lemon, onion for garnish and bread.
• Add to slow cooker, stir, and cook on High for 10 hours.
• Add the half lemon and cook another 2 hours on High. After cooking, remove and discard the lemon.
• Top with the sliced red onion and serve with hot naan. (I ran out of naan and wrapped these in warm flour tortillas - very good).
• To make half the quantity, use a 3 1/2 qt slow cooker.
• Note: I loved these plain, but loved them even more with a cucumber salad. Mix chopped cucumbers - I used seedless - and some chopped red onion if you like, stir in some sour cream or thick yogurt. Spoon onto the chickpeas and naan - the contrast between the spicy chickpeas and the cool creamy cucumbers is out of this world!

CHUTNEY CHICKPEAS WITH TAMARIND

Steps:

• 1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Meanwhile, prepare the tamarind paste and the ginger-garlic paste. When ready, drain the chickpeas and place them in a pressure cooker long with 5 cups water. Baking soda, salt, cardamom pods, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes.2. Carefully open the lid and check to see if the beans are very soft with some of them broken if not, add more water as needed, cover, bring up to pressure, and cook under high pressure another minute. Or, cover and boil until the chickpeas are soft and creamy, about 45 minutes.3. Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin and ajwain seeds they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir about 1minute. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes are soft and all the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes.4. Add the coriander, ground cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and black salt, then add the tamarind paste and bring to a quick boil. Mix into the chickpeas along with the green chili peppers, cilantro, and mint, and summer until the sauce is very thick, about 15 minutes. Stir vigorously and smash some of the chickpeas to further thicken the dish. Serve.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TAMARIND HUMMUS

Steps:

• Combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tamarind pulp, olive oil, and sesame oil in a food processor; blend until combined. Stream reserved chickpea liquid into the mixture as it blends until desired consistency is reached.

CHICKPEA-POTATO CHAAT

Steps:

• Potatoes
• Place potatoes in a medium pot and pour in cold water to cover by 1"; season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, 15-18 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly, then halve potatoes. Transfer to a large bowl and chill until ready to use.
• Tamarind Chutney
• Whisk tamarind concentrate, sugar, salt, cayenne, and cumin seeds in another small bowl until combined and sugar is dissolved.
• Green chutney
• Purée cilantro, mint, lime juice, chile, cumin seeds, salt, and ¼ cup water in a blender until smooth.
• Yogurt and assembly
• Whisk lime juice, yogurt, sugar, and salt in a small bowl until combined and sugar is dissolved.
• Add chickpeas, half of chile, ½ cup tomato, ½ cup red onion, ¼ cup cilantro, 2 tsp. chaat masala, ½ cup yogurt mixture, ½ cup tamarind chutney, and ½ cup green chutney to potatoes and toss to combine.
• Transfer chaat to a platter and drizzle 2 Tbsp. yogurt mixture, 2 Tbsp. tamarind chutney, and 2 Tbsp. green chutney over. Sprinkle with a pinch of chaat masala and top with sev and remaining chile, tomato, and red onion as desired. Scatter a few cilantro sprigs on top and serve with remaining yogurt and chutneys alongside.