Butter chicken was my favourite Indian dish. There's one place near me
that serves theirs swimming in a glorious pool of tomato cream sauce. It's SO
unhealthy, but SO delicious.
So I figured, if you can make butter chicken, then why not butter
chickpeas? The fenugreek is optional, but it adds a special flavour. We can
find it easily in Toronto. You can use a hot or mild chili powder, and cayenne
depending on your tastes. If you don't have Earth Balance, you could use
avocado oil (or real butter if you wish).
Above: Served over millet with a side of veg.
Above: The next day for lunch. I would store the grain and the chickpeas separately next time, until I'm ready to eat. The grain absorbs all the sauce.
Above: Day 3. I ate it for dinner the first night, and 2 days in a row for lunch.
Above: For lunch #2, I put it on a baked potato. Even better than the millet!
Above: This is the spice paste.
Above: Here's the cashew paste.
Butter Chickpeas (Vegan)
Makes 2-3 servings
Ingredients
For the Paste
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon tandoori masala spice (or garam masala)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (hot or mild)
- cayenne pepper (optional and to taste)
Other Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Earth Balance organic
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon of the paste (make it heaping)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (also heaping)
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups cooked (or canned) chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon cashew paste (or cashew butter)
- salt to taste
Directions
- Make the paste by combining all the ingredients in a blender (I used a Magic
Bullet for easy clean-up). Set aside. There will be extra which you can store
in a little jar in the fridge.
- To make the cashew paste, I blended raw cashews (I didn't soak them but
you can) with a small splash of water until it firmed a paste. I used my
Vitamix for this. It will take a few minutes for it to become smooth. Have
patience my friend. Store any extra in the fridge.
- Place the onion and Earth Balance in a pot over medium heat, and sauté
until golden. Stir in the paste and cook for one minute. Add the tomato paste
and diced tomato followed by the broth. You can use water, but it will dilute
the flavour. Add more broth if it becomes too thick for your liking.
- Simmer for a minute, then add the chickpeas. Simmer again to heat
through. Before serving, stir in the cashew paste and taste it for salt.
- Serve over the cooked grain of your choice (I used millet, you can use
rice), or with naan. I also love it over a baked potato.
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