channa masala with a twist

one of my goto dishes, when i'm feeling peckish for something with an indian flair, is rajmah - what my dad calls his kidney bean, chick pea curry prepared with tomatoes, spices, and results in a gorgeous gravy that you can sop up with naan or toast. given the ease of the dish, and the likelihood that i'll have all ingredients handy, it's no wonder that i like to make it.

last night, however, i wasn't feeling very kidney bean-ish, but i was craving the same flavor and had on hand the staples for what was to become channa masala, with a twist. (channa referring to chick peas):
- chick peas (aka garbanzo beans)
- garam masala
- 1/2 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 small red onion

my twist involved the inclusion of something sweet - a nectarine. that's right, a nectarine :) - and a little basil, instead of cilantro that usually accompanies this dish.

i started by heating some olive oil in a pan and threw in some red pepper flakes and garam masala to heat and infuse the oil as the pan heated up. next, i threw in the diced red onion. as the onions approached their translucent state, i added 1 diced nectarine. then, i opened and rinsed two cans of chick peas while the onion cooked. i added the chick peas and a sprinkling of salt and let the flavors mix for a few minutes before adding the fire roasted tomatoes and a cup of water.

traditionally, indian recipes use fresh tomatoes, but because i had some diced, fire roasted ones in my fridge, i decided to give it a try.

the chick peas will absorb this first round of water in about 7-10 minutes. you could probably eat it at this stage, but i like a thicker gravy, and b/c i had the time, i decided to allow the flavor to penetrate the little round legumes. so i address about another 1 1/2 cups of water, put the flame on low, and walked away for about 20 minutes. when the water had been almost all absorbed, i added several large basil leaves that i had rinsed and dried. i didn't bother chopping them b/c the heat would wither the leaves. and this way, if someone doesn't want to eat the basil, the leaves are easily taken out.

i ate the channa masala with quinoa that i prepared by cooking it with about a tablespoon of the famous knorr vegetable dip mix and a bit of salt. after it was finished cooking, i mixed in a handful of sliced mushrooms - that were broiled for 10 minutes - that i had leftover from the night before (when i made an awesome brown rice pasta provence - recipe to be added soon, b/c it was sooo good!).

the nectarines added just the slightest hint of sweet in the background, and according to my very picky audience, the chick peas were the right firmness - not mushy, but also well cooked through.

my dad may be the king of rajmah, but i think i can win a channa masala throwdown any day!