Indian Chick Peas

1. Heat a bit of oil in a pan.
2. Once hot, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, red pepper, and chili powder.
3. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, onions, tumeric, garam masala, mango powder (optional), and coriander.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add chick peas. Stir to coat with all of the spices.
6. Add tomato and a pinch of salt.
7. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
8. Cook for about 20 minutes to bring out the flavor. The mixture can be cooked longer and the flavor will continue to develop.
9. Serve with rice, naan, or paratha. It is great with a dollop of plain yogurt on top as well to cool the spice.

Notes:
1. I generally love following recipes and then adjusting the final result a bit if I need to. However, whenever I cook Indian food I just eyeball things. This is because I have learned a lot from my boyfriend’s family, and as true experts, they just grab handfuls or fingerfuls of the spice and throw them in the mix. All the measurements here are estimates, although I may have added an extra pinch of something in the process . The beauty is, you can adjust the spice ratios. I like mine spicy. The recipe here is toned down a bit from the amount of spice I usually add, but it definitely has some heat. If you want to avoid spice, take out the chili powder.
2. You can find Indian spices at Asian food markets and Indian markets and the prices will be much more reasonable than in a traditional grocery store. I am lucky to have been given a supply of common Indian spices by my boyfriend’s mother, but it is definitely worth stocking up, because if you have the spices on hand, making delicious Indian food is quick and easy.
3. Indian food stores also have prepackaged spice mixes that are really tasty and can be easily mixed into lentils, chick peas, cauliflower, and meat dishes.