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Hot-and-Sour Curried Chickpeas

Hot-and-Sour Curried Chickpeas

By Julie RackowOctober 15, 2019

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    25 minutes

Khatte chole, a popular Indian street food, was our starting point for this quick-and-easy vegetarian curry. Amchoor, or dried green mango powder, usually supplies the dish's characteristic tartness, but instead we steep chopped onion and jalapeño in lemon juice to make a quick pickle that adds crunch as well as acidity. For less heat, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before chopping. A box grater makes quick work of reducing the onions and tomatoes to a pulp—no food processor or blender needed. Serve the chickpeas with naan or basmati rice.

Tip

Don't stir all of the onion-jalapeño pickle into the chickpea mixture in the saucepan. Make sure to reserve about ⅓ cup for scattering on top as a garnish.

Ingredients
  • 2

    medium red onions, halved

  • 1

    jalapeño chili, stemmed and finely chopped

  • ¼

    cup lemon juice

  • 2

    teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger, divided

  • 3

    large plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and cored

  • 3

    tablespoons salted butter, divided

  • 2

    teaspoons garam masala

  • 1½

    teaspoons curry powder

  • Kosher salt

  • 2

    15½-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

  • ¼

    cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more to serve

Step 1

Finely chop 1 onion half, then in a small bowl combine it with the jalapeño, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Set aside.

On the large holes of a box grater set over a large bowl, grate the remaining 3 onion halves. Next, grate the tomato halves starting on the cut sides and grating down to the skin; discard the skins.

Step 2

In a large saucepan over medium, heat 2 tablespoons of butter, the garam masala and curry powder, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the onion-tomato pulp, the remaining 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon salt.

Increase to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until a spoon leaves about a 5-second trail when drawn through the mixture, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 3

Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, until the chickpeas are warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Measure out and reserve about ⅓ cup of the onion-jalapeño pickle, then add the remainder to the pan along with the cilantro, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and ½ teaspoon salt.

Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the reserved onion-jalapeño pickle and additional cilantro.

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