Chickpeas for a Protein-Rich Vegan Diet
A simple recipe for tangy, vegan Indian style chickpeas
For years, I have been trying to cut down on my meat consumption. And for this, I searched for the perfect meat-replacement — a food that is full of protein, satiating, and not too carb-y or fatty. I tried various beans and found black beans to come the closest. But, how much black bean can one have! So, one fine day as I scoured my neighborhood supermarket, I came across Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans. They are chock full of protein and dietary fibers without too much fat. 1 standard can contains close to 18g of protein and a lot of dietary fibers to make it a satisfying meal.
Now, it's not as if I was unaware of Chickpeas. I grew up on regular bouts of Chole Bhature, the popular north Indian street food made out of chickpeas. I guess it was just a matter of re-learning your heritage.
Chickpeas are an ancient legume, originating in the middle east. They are consumed all over the world in various ways including hummus, stews, and even Italian pancakes. But, for me, chickpea is always associated with the tangy and spicy Indian curry. Now recreating the real Chole Bhature is not that easy for a novice chef. So, I decided to settle on Chana masala or spicy chickpeas using a ready-to-use spice mix from the Indian store. Authentic or not, the dish came out as I expected — tangy and tasty. Here is the recipe —
Chana Masala
Ingredients —
- Chickpeas — 2 15.5 oz cans, or you can get dry chickpeas and soak them overnight; in my opinion best to work with the canned ones
- Tomatoes — 2–3
- Red onion — 1
- Garlic — 3–4 cloves
- Salt — to taste
- Chana masala powder — to taste or according to the packet; I used 2 tbsps — available widely in any Indian food store
- Lemon — half
- Green coriander or cilantro — 5–6 sprigs, chopped for garnish
Method —
- Open the cans, take the chickpeas out in a sieve and wash them well then leave them in the sieve to drain
- Chop the garlic, onion, and tomatoes
- Heat oil in a deep pan, add the onions and garlic
- Add some salt to the onions and sauté until brown
- Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well
- Reduce the flame to medium and add the Chana masala powder to the pan and sauté, mixing everything well
- Add the chickpeas and mix well
- Cover with a lid, reduce the flame to medium-low, and let it cook for 10 minutes
- Switch off the flame, mix everything again and then squeeze the lemon
- Mix well, garnish with chopped coriander and eat!
The recipe works well with boiled rice and Indian-style paratha. As one can see, this is a super quick recipe that brings the goodness of chickpeas in a tasty avatar. One can also modify the recipe accordingly — adding more tomatoes for tanginess or add chopped potatoes.
Chickpeas are very versatile because they don’t have a very strong taste of their own. If you tend to not like spicy stuff then you can also add chickpeas to a salad. They would hold on their own while endowing you with their goodness!
