ARF/5-a-Day#8 and HFCIPTP #2

Another week gone by and it's Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day Tuesday again! This event has truly changed the way I approach my Monday night dinners :-) I did not need to be extra creative to accomplish ARF meals on my stock-limited pantry. I had plenty of canned chick peas which formed the basis of my 'Methi Kabuli Channa (Chick peas with fenugreek leaves). Here's a great picture of methi leaves by Indira. Today's recipe is adapted from Hemant Trivedi's, specifically I substituted dried kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for fresh ones. This is a Rajasthani (a desert in India) recipe, which is cooked without onions, garlic and other vegetables since they were hard to come by in the desert climate. Still, this is one of the best chick pea recipes I have tried, and I will definitely be making it again (with fresh leaves!)

Chick peas are a great source of protien, and contain a substance called saponin, which can act as antioxidants. Here is the recipe for "Fenugreek Chick Peas"

Fenugreek Chickpeas
1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter) or oil 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 4-5 cloves 1/2 inch sticks cinnamon 1/2 tsp asafetida 3/4 tsp mustard seeds	Heat oil in a saute pan/sauce pan and add the seeds. Allow seeds to sputter.
2 green chilies, chopped finely 3.5 tablespoons kasuri methi	Add and allow to sear very briefly until fragrance exudes
3/4 tsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 1 tsp asafetida 1/4 tsp turmeric powder salt to taste 2 tbsp tomato paste	Add to the 'tadka' and stir
2- 14oz cans of chick peas drained and rinsed 1 cup of water Amchur (dry mango pow) or tamarind paste, to taste for desired sourness	Add and allow to simmer. Crush a few chick peas to thicken the gravy/sauce
1 tsp besan (chickpea flour) 2-3 tbsp cold water	Mix flour and water to form a thick paste. Add to the chick peas and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes

Serve hot with warm chappatis or a bed of steaming rice.