A Heirloom Cholay For The Weekend

Weekend meals are always a slapdash affair, A quickly grilled burger or tepid takeout. A better choice is an easy but very flavorful Indian choley or chole.Again , the Food Flirts, Sheila and Marilynn Brass come to the rescue with a recipe from their Heirloom Cooking With The Sisters (St.Martin's Press). The original recipe is from their English friend, Katy. She learned how to cook this from her mother, Viru, who was an expert on Indian cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 (19 oz.) can of chickpeas
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes (I used the diced one from Tuttorosa)
2 medium potatoes boiled. ( I cheated here and microwave  boiled them)
1 tablespoon butter softened to room temperature (I subbed in I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (again I veered off and used olive oil instead)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (if you can't find them, ground cumin works just as well)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry  powder
1/4 teaspoon red  chili powder
1 cup chopped onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon or lime  juice

Drain chickpeas in a colander and rinse with cold water.(i'm saving the aquafaba for meringues - stay tuned for that)

Drain tomatoes in colander, then cut in 1/2 inch dice (or you can buy already diced tomatoes as I did). Set aside in another bowl.

Peel and cut potatoes into one inch pieces and place in a third bowl( I left the skins on  - it's a matter of taste)

Melt butter with oil in saucepan over low heat.

Add cumin seeds. Turn up heat slightly and stir with a wooden spoon until cumin seeds sizzle.

Add garam masala, curry powder and chili  powder and stir to mix.

Add onions and garlic and continue cooking until softened 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in diced tomatoes.

Add chickpeas, potatoes and salt and cook , stirring until chickpeas and potatoes are heated through 4 to 5 minutes.Remove cholay to serving dish and let cool to room temperature.

Pour lemon or lime juice on top before serving.

As with any Brass sister recipe, this was a huge hit with everyone taking three helpings each. I didn't add the citrus juice. I felt it was just as tasty without it. The spices were a wonderful mix  that worked well with the veggies. The only thing missing was the Indian flatbread naan to wipe the bowls clean.

I will be making this classic a lot in the future . It was easy  and delicious - the perfect stew for any night of the week.

Recipe page 58 of  Heirloom  Cooking With The Brass Sisters (St Martin's Press)