Channa Masala

A simple home style channa masala. A super easy curry to make on a weekday, this is a quick version, there are about a hundred ways to make, it is versatile and forgiving recipe.

Ingredients

A can of garbanzo beans(channa)

A medium size onion

Two tomatoes

A medium red potato

Half a can of coconut milk

Red chili powder

Coriander powder 

Cumin powder
Garlic powder

Star anise

Black cumin seeds

Cloves 

Procedure 

Heat a pan with few spoons of oil.

Sauté the cloves, star anise and cumin seeds.

Sauté the chopped onion.

Sauté the chopped tomatoes and chopped red potato. 

When it is simmering, add the can of garbanzo beans, and the spice powders to suit your taste( I add a spoon of red chili powder,1/2 spoon of garlic powder, 1/4 spoon cumin powder and 1/4 spoon coriander powder).

Let it simmer for 10-15 mins, stir in the coconut milk and add salt to taste.

Allow to simmer for 5 mins and we've with hot rice. 

Tofu Fried Rice

 

Tofu is a cheap source of protein, it's versatile and packed with nutrients. There are several variations of tofu fried rice, this recipe is my favourite, it is easy to prepare and difficult to mess up, especially when you don't have too much time on your hands. I made a small batch last week and devoured every single bite. 

 

 

Ingredients 

 

1 pack extra firm tofu (I used the whole foods 365 brand tofu, it's barley two dollars)

Half a red pepper chopped

Half a green pepper chopped

Half a spoon of minced garlic and minced ginger paste 

Half an onion chopped or a few scallions chopped (this is optional)

A cup of cooked rice (I used leftover basmati rice, you can used any long grain cooked rice)

Siracha sauce or traditional sambal (chilli paste)

Soy sauce

Salt and pepper 

Procedure 

 

Heat a thick pan and add a few teaspoons of vegetable oil. 

 

Add the onions/scallions and minced ginger and garlic and sauté. 

Add the red and green pepper and sauté for a minute or two, don't let it cook too soft.

 

Add the chopped tofu pieces and sauté gently. 

 

Add the cooked rice and stir it gently with a forked spatula or fork. 

 

Season with siracha sauce, soy sauce and check for salt and spice.

 

Soy sauce is salty, so it should be sufficient to flavour the rice but if you feel the need you can sprinkle more salt along with pepper and be sure to check before you serve it.

 

Sprinkle chopped green scallions (optional) and serve hot.