Choley - Indian chickpea/garbanzo bean curry

I am a big fan of chickpeas. When I think of chickpeas, I think of comfort. They are so versatile and can be used in salads, curries, burger patties, falafel, hummus... the list goes on. My favorite food growing up was Choley bhature - an Indian chickpea curry served with a fluffy deep fried bread. I still enjoy Choley and instead of bhature, I now pair it with rice or any Indian flatbread like naan or roti. There are many ways to make Choley and this recipe is my version of the curry. It comes together quickly and tastes great when served hot. It also keeps very well and when left in the refrigerator for a day or two, it becomes even more delicious because the chickpeas soak up all the flavor from the sauce. All the ingredients should be available in any Indian grocery store. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Serves: 4, Prep. time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups boiled chickpeas/Garbanzo beans - approximately 2 15 oz. cans (or 1.5 cups of dry chickpeas, soaked in water for 6 hours and boiled)
1/2 inch piece of ginger, sliced
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 tbsp chickpea flour (Besan)
3 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp Chaat masala (or 1/2 tbsp Garam masala + 1 tsp raw mango powder)
Chopped cilantro leaves and sliced onions (raw or pickled) for garnish

Directions:

If using raw chickpeas, add the sliced ginger and salt to the water in which the chickpeas will be boiled. If using canned chickpeas, add the chickpeas along with the liquid in a pot, add the sliced ginger and cook for 10 minutes till ginger softens.
Heat the canola oil in a wide pan on medium heat.
Add cumin seeds and let them splutter for a few seconds.
Add the chopped red onion and stir fry till onion turns translucent.
Then add the chickpea flour and stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes till flour turns light brown (Chickpea flour gives out a sweet fragrance when cooked like this and in addition to serving as a thickening agent, imparts a nice flavor to the curry. If chickpea flour is not available, mash some boiled or canned chickpeas and add at this step).
Now add all the chopped tomatoes and stir well. At first the mixture will seem dry but the tomatoes will start releasing their juices soon and will make the mixture moist.
Add the dry spices and salt to the tomatoes and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes till the tomatoes turn mushy and start bubbling.
Add the chickpeas along with the liquid and the softened ginger into the pan in which tomatoes are cooking. Stir well to coat all the chickpeas with the tomato sauce. Cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Reduce to low heat and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes.
Turn off heat, add chopped cilantro and serve.