Continuing with my Indian-influenced meals, this one is a winner. It's quick, light, tasty and a feast for both the eyes and stomach.
The recipe is from Vegetarian, by Alice Hart (here) - a well-used gift from a few girlfriends for my birthday last year.
Channa Chat
I used a large red chilli instead of green, olive oil instead of groundnut, and hot chilli powder (love the kick). I also had cherry tomatoes in the fridge already, so used those. You'll see from the photos that I also added some sugar snap peas, broccoli and corn, also already in the fridge - really, you can add whatever vibrant combination of veges you like.
A word of warning - wear an apron if you're deseeding the pomegranate wearing light coloured clothes - the juice will stain and splashes are common. The best way to deseed a pomegranate (I find) is to slice it into quarters and then use your fingers to pull pack the skin gently. The most of the seeds will begin to fall out with a gentle nudge. Allow the seeds to drop into a bowl/sieve and after emptying the shell, shake the loose seeds and remove any bits of the bitter white pith you see.
For the Chickpeas:
For the Rest:
Saute the onion, ginger and chilli in oil for 5 minutes until onion is soft. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes until golden. Ad the chilli powder and garam masala and cook for another 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, season well and set aside to cool.
Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice and chopped coriander in a mixing bowl. Divide between 4 plates and top with the chickpea mixture, yoghurt, pomegranate seeds and the crushed poppadoms.
Sprinkle with coriander leaves an serve before the poppadoms soften.
Do you have any Indian (or Indian-influenced) go-to recipes?
The recipe is from Vegetarian, by Alice Hart (here) - a well-used gift from a few girlfriends for my birthday last year.
Channa Chat
I used a large red chilli instead of green, olive oil instead of groundnut, and hot chilli powder (love the kick). I also had cherry tomatoes in the fridge already, so used those. You'll see from the photos that I also added some sugar snap peas, broccoli and corn, also already in the fridge - really, you can add whatever vibrant combination of veges you like.
A word of warning - wear an apron if you're deseeding the pomegranate wearing light coloured clothes - the juice will stain and splashes are common. The best way to deseed a pomegranate (I find) is to slice it into quarters and then use your fingers to pull pack the skin gently. The most of the seeds will begin to fall out with a gentle nudge. Allow the seeds to drop into a bowl/sieve and after emptying the shell, shake the loose seeds and remove any bits of the bitter white pith you see.
For the Chickpeas:
- 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 2cm piece of ginger, finely grated
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 T groundnut oil
- 300g cooked chickpeas, or 1x400g tin, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 t mild chilli powder
- 1 t garam masala
For the Rest:
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced
- 2 vine tomatoes, diced
- a squeeze of lemon
- 1 small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
- 4 heaped T natural yoghurt
- seeds from 1 pomegranate
- 2 large cooked poppadoms, roughly crushed
Saute the onion, ginger and chilli in oil for 5 minutes until onion is soft. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes until golden. Ad the chilli powder and garam masala and cook for another 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, season well and set aside to cool.
Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice and chopped coriander in a mixing bowl. Divide between 4 plates and top with the chickpea mixture, yoghurt, pomegranate seeds and the crushed poppadoms.
Sprinkle with coriander leaves an serve before the poppadoms soften.
Do you have any Indian (or Indian-influenced) go-to recipes?
Looks very tasty
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