Sometimes I go on a big lentil and bean kick. It mostly happens when I don’t have any meat dishes in mind and don’t feel like leaving my house. But there’s also a comfort food element to the decision. And a budgetary one. When I’m planning to head to a few restaurants in the near future, it’s best to save my pennies, and also to calm my tastebuds with more neutral flavours to better enjoy the meal by contrast. That’s just smart financial and gustatory planning.
I also wanted a little more cupboard space because these local yellow peas I’ve had since before I stopped writing recipes for Lufa Farms have been sitting in my cupboard, not being made into pea soup as per the directions on the bag. So I headed to the New York Times Cookbook in search of a recipe.
And ginger is supposedly good for the immune system, which is important this time of year. And I happen to have mango powder in ample supply. If you don’t, fear not.
Now that I’ve justified chickpeas/whole yellow peas (which can be used interchangeably but aren’t as nutty as chickpeas), here’s my adaptation of the recipe:
Gingered Whole Yellow Peas
Ingredients:
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp whole coriander
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp mango powder (or 1 1/2 – 2 tsp lemon juice, which is clearly not the same…)
1 dried red chili pepper, seeds removed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 medium tomato, chopped
4 cups cooked chickpeas or whole yellow peas (take about 1 1/2 cups dry chickpeas, soak them in cold water overnight, and then boil them for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on age with 1/2 tsp turmeric. Skim foam when it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for remaining time, until tender)
1 1/2 cups broth (or 1 cup broth, 1/2 cup water; or 1 1/2 cups water but it’ll be bland)
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add ginger and garlic. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 2 minutes. Add a tbsp water if things get sticky, but they shouldn’t. You maybe need a better pot if they do.
Add coriander through black pepper. Stir. Add tomato and crush it a little to make a sauce. It won’t work. But try. Cook 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook 10 minutes until everything seems about ready to eat and combined and lovely. Taste. Add more salt or, preferably, mango powder for flavour if it’s bland. Serve with rice or a dinner roll, or some other kind of bread that can soak up the sauce.
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