201217 Mumma's Golden Chickpea Curry

dec.17

 Mumma's golden chickpea curry

1 cup chickpeas, dry - this is the secret of the recipe!

Rinse and soak overnight in 2 inches of water. Drain and replace water and boil 70 minutes. Set aside.

1 med. onion chopped fine

3 or 4 cloves garlic chopped fine or crushed 

3 slices ginger root chopped fine

1/3 tsp turmeric powder or equivalent root chopped

2 tsp your favorite curry powder (mine is Cool Runnings Jamaican) or your own blend, mild and sweet. 

shakes pepper

1 1/2 C chicken broth or veg. broth

1 398ml can of coconut milk

salt to taste, before serving.

1 C rice cooked - 1 C before cooking that is.

: cook chickpeas (as above) (or use canned, rinsed)

saute onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric root

add to chickpeas

add spices except for salt.

add broth and coconut milk. simmer and stir 10 minutes. 

now add salt if needed.

Note: you may wish to add 1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice to cut the richness, esp. the next day. Thais would use cilantro too. for garnish.

Serve in a bowl over rice not to waste the golden broth. 

4 servings. For more, just double it. I don't know how it would freeze but it will keep days in the fridge, if no-one finds it!

There is a story here that, because of the dry chickpeas, started decades ago. At my childhood home, we seldom had real coffee. My mother made percolated coffee from ground beans for special dinners and parties and I found it bitter and strong when I was young. We drank tea most of the time: in good English style we put the kettle on for tea throughout the day and at supper. Coffee was instant when we had it. Then in my twenties I discovered real melita-style drip coffee and french press and was forever converted. Now, forty years later, I have discovered why you use real dried chickpeas prepared from scratch. The  flavour is lovely: sweet, rich, divine. I can never go back. Now I know why store-bought hummus tastes so much better than mine! If I learn how to make curry from its component spices I will really be cooking! 

My mother was English; came to Canada as a "war bride", having fallen in love with a prairie man from Saskatchewan. She never used garlic but she could prepare the most delicious beef and chicken stews, and could whip up a perfect batch of biscuits or dumplings as an afterthought! We had potatoes with every dinner. Rice and pasta were exotic alternatives seldom served. Curry was what you did to a horse, or to get favours!

Enjoy your day. Keep well.

Mumma yaga