Your cart is currently empty!
Butternut ChickPea Chana Masala
Get updated by email whenever there’s a new post
We grow what we love to eat, and butternuts are easy to store, a breeze to prep in the kitchen, and I just love their texture and flavor. I’m partial to the traditional Waltham Butternut Squash, even though many new and improved tempting varieties come out often.
This recipe was created back in 2008 or so when a friend and picky eater was coming for Thanksgiving dinner and we had a very short ingredient list with which to work. A vegetarian, we wanted to celebrate fall while making a nutritious meal with complete proteins. And that is how this Indian-inspired winter meal was born.
I really recommend playing with proportions with this recipe. I honestly rarely follow this exactly anymore, and instead use an oven-roasted butternut partly for this and the rest for soup. I use a can of pureed tomatoes, and I have gone heavier on the chick peas lately than the original recipe.
Butternut Chickpea Chana Masala
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups chickpeas
- 1 small butternut, peeled and cut into small cubes
- enough broth to just cover butternut
- 1 stick salted butter
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 tsp ground fresh ginger
- 1-2 garlic cloves (optional)
- 1 tbs garam masala (can buy in bulk at Linden hills Coop)
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 16 ounces tomatoes (canned, whole or diced — or grab some frozen tomatoes from last summer, thawed)
Instructions
- Prep the butternut and get it boiling with the broth in a medium-sized stock pot. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Alternatively: open roast the butternut. This takes longer but is really delicious too. If you decide to roast instead, you’ll need to add about a cup or more of broth to the butternut when you combine it (see below).
- Next, chop the onion and saute in butter. When softened, add the ginger, garlic, garam masala, cumin, and salt. Cook for a few minutes more. Your kitchen should be smelling amazing by now.
- After fully cooked and softened, add the onions to the now softened butternut, and add the tomatoes. (If you oven-roasted your butternut instead, this would be the time to add extra broth to the pot).
- Puree it all with an immersion blender or mash by hand. You can choose your texture at this point — totally smooth or with some chunks of onion, tomato and butternut.
- Finally, mix in the chick peas and let simmer for 15-20 minutes more.
- Taste and make adjustments: if too sweet, add a tablespoon or more of lemon juice. Salt to your liking.
- Serve with rice, warm naan, or a buttered flour tortilla heated up on a griddle.
You might also like:
Get updated by email whenever there’s a new post
Comments
If you’re a subscriber, you can discuss this post in the forums
Leave a Reply