Recipe: Curried Chickpeas with Fresh Ginger and Cilantro (crock pot and blender)

CURRIED CHICKPEAS WITH FRESH GINGER AND CILANTRO

"As anyone familiar with Indian food knows, chickpeas are one of the most common types of legumes found on Indian tables. In this popular recipe, the spices and fresh ingredients are added at the very end of the cooking time to preserve optimum flavor and freshness. Regulate the heat by the amount of cayenne you use."

2 cups dried chickpeas
6 cups water
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup sesame or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt (to taste)
Juice of 1 lemon
Yogurt (optional, for serving)
3 fresh Serrano chiles, seeded, deveined, and cut into julienne (for garnish)
A few fresh cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Thoroughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until the chickpeas are tender.

In a large saute pan, brown the onion in the sesame oil until dark brown in color, about 15 minutes.

Combine the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, chile powder, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, and cayenne in an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse powder.

Add the coarsely ground spices to the onion to the saute pan and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, then add the onion and spices to the cooked chickpeas.

Recover the crock pot and continue cooking on LOW for another 30 to 60 minutes.

Using a handheld immersion blender, puree some of the chickpeas in the insert to thicken the mixture.

Add salt to taste, then stir in the lemon juice. Ladle into bowls, add a dollop of yogurt, and garnish with the chile slices and cilantro leaves.

Makes 6-8 servings
Source: Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley