Chickpea Tikka Masala

So finally our schedules let us be together on a Tuesday! Hurrah! I was craving Indian food and the rich creamy tomato sauce of Tikka Masala called my name.

I found a recipe online that was similar to what I was thinking. (If you'd like the original it is here.)

Potokar had this Dried Ginger in her cabinet. I threw in about a tablespoon in the middle of sauteing. I love ginger, so I didn't mind getting chunks of ginger occasionally... just keep that in mind if you decide to use it. I thought it was very tastey and brought a brightness and peppery element to the dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tbls onion powder

1 tbls ground ginger (plus 1 tbls dried ginger - optional)

1 1/2 tablespoon Garam Masala

1 tbls Curry Powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 (14.5 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (petite diced tomatoes would work too)

1 cup of water (possibly more if too thick)

1 can full fat coconut milk (I only skimmed the thick part off the top)

Salt to taste (I used about 2 tsp)

1. Bring the oil to heat over med-high heat.
2. Add the chickpeas and then sprinkle all seasonings over the top. Stir to coat and saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the  can of crushed tomatoes and water, bring to boil. 
4. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the creamy coconut milk and stir thoroughly. It should be a rich orange color. Let simmer another 5 minutes. Taste - add salt as necessary.
6. Serve over rice.

I used an Instant Pot to make rice in less than 15 minutes. 

Place 1.5 cups of rice (she had long grain brown rice), 1.5 cups water (plus 2 tbls) in the Instant Pot. Secure lid, turn on, press manual, reduce time to 8 minutes and walk away. This pressure cooked the rice on high for 8 minutes (takes a few minutes to come to pressure). The rice came out perfect. I did add a little vegan butter to give it a bit of flavor.