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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019 THE OBSERVER HERALD — • 3B THE OBSERVER & & BAKER BAKER CITY CITY HERALD HOME & LIVING Chana masala: Crack the code on Indian cuisine By James P. DeWan Chicago Tribune So, Madge and I got totally into it the other day over my chimpanzee butler. Something about the way he dresses, Madge found it, I don’t know — “unseemly.” “What, the bow tie?” I asked. “Too much?” “Not just the bow tie,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s the whole ‘chimps as butlers’ thing.” “What are you talking about? Mandrake likes being my butler, don’t you, Man- drake,” I said, with an appre- ciative nod in the direction of the smartly attired primate. “Oh, for the love of ... ” said Madge, “What do chimps even know about buttling?” Madge turned to face me directly: “It’s like an Irish American rube like yourself writing about something like ... like ... ” “Chana masala?” said I. “Chana masala,” said she. Et, voila. Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune-TNS The 13 items (plus salt and cooking oil) needed for the chana masala might seem daunting, but the dish comes together quickly. chubby chickpeas we’re used to, which Indians would call “chole” (CHO-lay). Fear not, though, because, what we can do is reproduce Why you need to learn some of the fl avor profi les of this Indian food, and chana masala is a great place to start. There are more than 1.7 The word “masala” and its billion with a “b” people on the Indian subcontinent, all of variants appear in a number whom eat food. Chana masala of languages — including, is a relatively simple dish that now, English — and gener- can crack the door to the cui- ally means spice or spices or sines of that region. Be nice to a mix of ingredients. Regard- less, masala refers either to a your tongue and give it a try. blend of raw or toasted spices The steps you take or, perhaps more frequently, a Before we begin, Chumley, mix of ingredients like tomato, onion, garlic and ginger that let’s get something straight: are sauteed together along We’re not going into this with various spices. It’s to this thinking we can cook some- mixture, then, that the main thing here in the U.S. that ingredient (in today’s iteration, tastes exactly like what we’d get in Mumbai or Sirpur-Kag- chickpeas) is added to simmer aznagar. There are simply far until it’s done. Now, because items like too many factors over which tomato, onion and garlic are we have little to no control. For example, we think that as common in contemporary chickpeas are chickpeas, right? global cuisine as pigs were in the streets of 1830 Cincinnati, Turns out, the chickpeas known as chana (from which those three items alone will not give you an “Indian-tast- this dish derives its name) ing” masala. The ginger will are not that common here in the U.S. Chana is smaller and certainly help; fresh ginger is a staple in the cuisines of South darker than the beige and Asia. What really makes your masala Indian, though, are those spices. Let’s talk about that. First of all, we should address the elephant in the room: curry powder. Most of us have a small container of curry powder in our spice cabinet. When I was younger and even dumber than I am now, I made “Indian food” by stir-frying veggies with curry powder. What I didn’t realize was that curry powder is not really from the Indian subcontinent. Sure, it contains spices common in Indian and Pakistani cuisine, but, it’s from England. The British latched onto curry powder owing to (at least) two factors: First, the centuries-long British occupa- tion of India that didn’t end until 1947, and, second, the fact that the British, inhabit- ing a cold climate, had no built-in experience with the myriad spices native to the warmer corners of the planet. The Brits liked Indian food, but all those spices were far too complicated to master. Hence, curry powder became the shortcut, just like jarred red sauce for your pasta is a shortcut. Now, far be it for me to tell you not to use curry powder. Who am I, Bossy McMoo- pants? Still, if you want to start understanding the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, I’d suggest peaking behind that curry powder curtain to behold those individual spices. Admittedly, that task and those cuisines can be daunt- ing — so many ingredients, so many unfamiliar fl avors — which is why I suggest approaching the topic from a familiar standpoint. Thus: 1. Start your chana masala as you would your favorite red pasta sauce: Saute your aro- matics. In Indian cuisine, this would generally be an onion or two — either diced or whirled to a paste in a food processor — along with a small but tasty amount of garlic and ginger. The garlic and ginger can be minced, crushed or, again, whirled to a paste. You can even fi nd jarred garlic-ginger paste in some supermarkets and, trust me, it’ll work just fi ne. 2. Stir into this mixture the main body of your spices. These would commonly include ground coriander, cumin, cay- enne and turmeric, but could also include paprika, cinnamon (ground or sticks), cardamom, dried chiles, fenugreek, fennel — the list goes on. If you don’t have an Indian grandmother, consult a trusted recipe source for exact amounts. 3. Stir in your tomatoes and saute until most of the liquid evaporates. This is your masala. 4. Add canned chickpeas and, if it’s too dry, a little water. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it sim- mer for 15 to 20 minutes or so to meld all those fl avors. Add more water if it’s looking too dry. You be the judge. 5. Stir in some lemon juice or amchur (dried mango powder) to brighten the fl avors a bit, then add some garam masala and, if you really are feeling crazy, a little lime zest. Garnish it with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) and serve it with rice or fl atbread. Yum. CHANA MASALA Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 20 to 30 minutes Makes: 8 servings Though there’s a fair bit of prep and measuring, this recipe is pretty easy. It’s based on a recipe given to me by my friend Ravi Balasubramanian, originally from Tamil Nadu, India, now of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Ingredients that add specifi c qualities, like heat, sweet, sour, etc., may be increased or decreased to suit individual tastes. minced, or more to taste 1 tablespoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground cayenne 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 can (28 ounces) ground or diced tomatoes 1 can (29 ounces) chickpeas, drained, rinsed 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon amchur (dried mango powder) or 1 ounce lemon juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar Salt as needed Fresh cilantro, chopped 1. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and onion; cook, stirring, until fragrant and onion is translu- cent, 1 to 2 minutes. 2. Stir in garlic-ginger paste and minced jalapeno along with coriander, cayenne and turmeric. 3. Add tomatoes and chick- peas; increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer to thicken slightly and combine fl avors, 15 to 20 minutes. 4. Add garam masala, amchur or lemon juice, brown sugar and salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Simmer to combine fl avors, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately, garnished with cilantro. Nutrition information per serving: 237 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 10 g sugar, 9 g protein, 443 mg sodium, 8 g fi ber Note: Garlic-ginger paste is available at some grocery stores in tubes or jars. To make it at home, simply pulse roughly equal amounts of peeled, minced garlic and peeled, grated ginger in a food processor with a little oil and 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as expeller-pressed canola oil salt. It will keep for a couple months or more in the refrig- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 large onion, cut into small dice erator. Or buy garlic paste and 2 ounces (about 3 tablespoons) ginger paste separately, then mix them together. 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