Vegetarian Chole Curry

Ingredients

SERVES 6

300g dried chickpeas, soaked in plenty of cold water overnight

2 breakfast-blend tea bags

1 black cardamom pod

2 large onions

3 tablespoon ghee

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

6 cloves

1 green cardamom pod

2 cinnamon sticks

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground tumeric

1 tablespoon red chilli powder

1 tablespoon anardana (pomegranate seed) powder (optional)

1 teaspoon tomato puree

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

500ml water

Half bunch of coriander

Juice of half a lime

1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)

Salt

The recipe

STEP 1

Drain the soaked chickpeas, then put them into a pan, cover with plenty of fresh water and add the tea bags and the black cardamom. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 50-60 minutes, until tender. Discard the tea bags, then drain the chickpeas and set aside (you can leave the black cardamom pod in with the chickpeas).

STEP 2

Peel and roughly chop the onions, then whiz them to a coarse paste in a food processor. Heat the ghee in a large pan, add the cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and saute over a medium heat for 20 seconds. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes and the chopped fresh ginger and saute for a few seconds longer. Add the onions and cook gently for 8-10 minutes, until softened but not coloured.

STEP 3

Mix together the ground white pepper, fennel seeds, cumin, coriander, tumeric, red chilli powder and the anardana, if you have it. Add to the onion mixture and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, followed by the tinned tomatoes, and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes longer. Add the chickpeas and the water, bring to a summer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is thick.

STEP 4

Chop the coriander leaves and stalks (a lot of the flavour is in the stalks) and stiry them into the curry, together with the lime juice and amchur. Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve with basmati rice.