Witchy Kitchen

Tag: chickpeas

  • Chickpea, Carrot and Pea Samosas

    Chickpea, Carrot and Pea Samosas

    Samosas are one of those foods that are easy to buy but fun to make at home, even if they are a little labor intensive. You just have to put yourself in the mindset of it being a compliment that the dish you spent forever working on gets gobbled up in seconds. They’re universally popular, and can be filled with all kinds of yummy ingredients – tandoori chicken, keema, or fluffy potatoes. These particular ones have a mixture of chickpeas, carrots and peas that are lightly spiced and delicious with chutneys.

    Since these were for our Ms Marvel menu, I made some very cute little lightning bolts for the outside of some of the samosas. I had no idea how they’d turn out – I’d made samosas before but this part was a pure experiment. I colored the dough for the lightning bolts yellow with turmeric which turned out to be wholly unnecessary as they got nice and toasty brown; they looked great regardless!

    Chickpea, Carrot and Pea Samosas

    Adapted from Jasmine in Her Hair by Huma Saddiqi

    For the dough

    • 2 cups flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji, or black seed)
    • 2 tablespoons flavorless oil
    • 1/4 cup warm water

    Whisk together flour, salt, nigella seeds, and oil to sandy crumbs. Pour in water, and form into a ball. Knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Set aside in a bowl covered with a damp towel.

    For the filling

    • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 1 large carrot, diced
    • 1/2 cup peas
    • 1-2 tablespoons flavorless oil
    • 3 green onions, sliced, white and green divided
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
    • 1/2 teaspoon red chili
    • salt to taste

    Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add chickpeas and carrots and simmer until carrots are soft. Add peas and cook another minute, then drain and rinse with cold water.

    Meanwhile, heat oil and gently saute the whites of the onions. Add cumin, coriander, and red chili and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add in the drained chickpeas, carrots, and peas and cook until mixture is fairly dry. Transfer to a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides, until mixture is combined but not homogenous and still has lots of texture.

    To assemble samosas

    • Several inches of oil for frying

    Heat oil on medium in a pot or wok (I like using a wok, you get more surface area and need less oil).

    Optional, pinch off a piece of the dough to use for lightning bolts. I colored this with turmeric, but I’ll skip this step next time as it gets browned too much to tell. Divide remaining dough into 12 balls. Keep them on a plate covered with a damp towel so they don’t dry out while you work.

    Roll each ball out to about 6 inches and slice down the center so you have two semicircles. Fold the sides of the semicircle to the center of the curved side to form a triangle, and seal with water. Hold the dough in your hand to make a cone, and fill with a spoon or two of the filling. Roll the open side together and seal with water. You can reshape your samosa to a triangle at this point. (And if this all sounds crazy, watch this video at about 9:30 for folding technique).

    Fry in batches, turning, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve hot with green chutney, tamarind chutney, yogurt, or ketchup!

    Check out the whole Ms Marvel Menu

    See more of the The Comic Vault’s Comic Kitchen

    Photo credit: Jonathan Hartzell

  • Pindi Chana

    I saw this recipe and was eager to try it for several reasons:

    1. Cooking with tea – from chamomile cupcakes to Tea Eggs, I’m always excited to cook with tea. In this recipe it stains the chickpeas a deep brown.
    2. Cooking with pomegranate seeds (anardana) – I acquired these for making chapli kebabs, and like adding these little tart and unexpected additions.
    3. Named for Rawalpindi! I’ve been there!

    It turned out quite nice! I love to make a big pot of chickpeas or lentils to have around for a day or two, will definitely add these to the rotation.

    Pindi Chana

    Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor, mostly because cooking with dried chickpeas require forethought that I don’t have

    For the chana masala

    • 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
    • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoons amchoor powder
    • pinch turmeric

    Lightly toast the spices in a dry pan, crush lightly with a mortar and pestle, then set aside

    For the pindi chana

    • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 2 teabags
    • Salt
    • 4 tablespoons ghee, divided
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 2 medium onions, sliced
    • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
    • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
    • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
    • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • 2 roma tomatoes, quartered
    • 4-6 green chilies, trimmed and slit
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala

    In a medium saucepan, heat the chickpeas, teabags, a good sprinkle of salt, and water to cover. Simmer for 10 minutes and set aside.

    In a heavy-bottomed pot, karahi or wok, heat 3 tablespoons of ghee. Add cumin seeds and heat until they sizzle, then add onions and saute until they are golden brown, stirring often and being careful not to burn. Add garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin, coriander, red chili, and turmeric powders, and saute for another minute or two.

    Add the chickpeas along with a cup or two of the cooking liquid (I started with about a cup and added more as it got a little dry – you want some sauce, but not for it to be soupy).

    In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon ghee. Heat tomato and chilis with a good sprinkle of salt for a minute (crush the tomatoes slightly as they start to break down), then add chana masala and garam masala. Toss the mixture for another minute, then stir into the chickpeas.

    Mix well and cook at a low simmer for 10-15 minutes until it thickens, adding more cooking liquid or water if necessary.