2 of my favorite things, bonzos and peeps. A happy meal for happy marshmallow fowl. Now maybe they’ll leave me alone for a day or two. I tell you they were totally obnoxious about doing this dish. Sometimes they have no manners at all. I mean I give them a place to live; I make them dinner (into dinner); and I don’t ask for anything in return. Ungrateful peeps.
Well, those Peeps® were kind of a pain in the butt this week bugging me and bugging me to do another Indian dish. So I’ve relented with this cunning Chana Masala recipe. (See photo — an no comments about how I need to shine my silver.) The peeps were jumping up and down with joy (okay, not literally, they don’t have legs or feet) when I told them we’d do this dish. This is a verra yummy curry with chic peas (aka garbonzo beans — at my house we call them bonzos. I just love ’em. My friend, Hannah, came up with an exceptional bonzo salad recipe with tuna and parsley that I’ll have to steal from her and share with you and the peeps). Now, you can go to the trouble of making the masala sauce yourself (see recipe below, not that hard but the kicker is finding masala. I, living in a major metropolitan area can find it at a delicious-smelling Middle Eastern market, but you may have to go online.) OR just go to Trader Joe’s® and buy a jar of masala sauce there. It’s pretty tasty. In fact, I use it all the time in mostly non-peep recipes. I like it mixed up with chicken, veggies, raisins, and nuts over rice. I’m tellin’ you, it’s quick, easy, and no peeps nagging you to jump in the sauce before it’s ready. They could melt you know. They really don’t have a very good sense of self-preservation. Peeps, go figure.
This dish is excellent for you vegetarians out there. It’s very popular in Northern India served with rice or Naan and traditionally topped with yogurt or pomegranate syrup. The latter being another toughie to find. It’s sometimes called pomegranate molasses. You can also make it yourself if you have a pomegranate tree in the back yard and tons of time. Personally, I’d rather just eat a peep.
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 tsps finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 serrano chiles, finely chopped. Stay away from the seeds; wash your hands well before rubbing your eyes
- 1 – 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, or 2 – 14 oz cans, or 4 – 7 oz cans, or just a bunch from your yard cooked down
- 2 tsps garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Salt for seasoning to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 cans bonzos, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups boiled, chopped potatoes
- Water to get to the desired consistency
- Peeps!
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds, stirring occasionally until fragrant. If you have a cold and your sniffer isn’t working all that well, cook the seeds for about a minute. Add the ginger and chiles and season with salt. Add the garam masala, coriander, and turmeric.
- While the peeps are getting ready to jump in (they really do get themselves into a state), strain the tomatoes and chop into decent-sized pieces. Keep the juice.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and juice, bonzos, taters, and water. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan and let simmer until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency (stir occasionally) — about 10 minutes.
- Let the peeps have at it.
Flaming Peeptinis and Other Hot Peeps® Recipes 