Take the bean path to enjoy a curried meal
Gholam Rahman
Beans are back on America’s menu. For much of the world, though, they have never left, including on the menu of the Indian subcontinent, whence I am from, as well as on the Mexican menu. But with America’s love affair with beefy red meat during its nouveau riche interregnum, its rich bean heritage has often been brushed aside.
No more. It is back with a bang, with health and nutrition gurus singing its paean, for the benefifits beans can bring to ever yone’s diet . And nothing can be easier to cook. A wide variety of beans comes ready to eat in cans — just open the can and serve, even without any further cooking. Easily add ingredients such as chopped tomatoes, onions and herbs to enhance their appeal.
One of our favorite s i s canned garbanzo beans. We serve it as a side dish as well as a snack in between meals.
I n I n d i a , K a b l i c h a n a (similar to garbanzo) and its smaller, darker cousin the kala chana chick peas) are popular street foods — mostly in spicy curries but also dry-roasted with spices. They are also popular foods for Ramadan (Muslim month of fasting), which is not too far away.
You would do your family a favor by putting them on the bean path, with this easy and nutritious recipe that fol-
Open the can and drain garbanzo beans; set aside. In the oil, cook curry powder for a minute, stirring. Add onion, garlic and salt and saute, stirring, until onion is translucent. Add the tomato, reserving a little for garnish.
Cook, stirring until a chunky sauce is formed, about 8 minutes. Add garbanzo and cook, stirring until the beans are piping lows. It can be a stand- alone snack, with some crushed potato chips (or the Indian chana- choor) sprinkled over the individual bean servings. Or it can be a fifine side dish at dinner even with steaks. hot and covered with the sauce.
Serve in a bowl and garnish with the sweet onion, cilantro and reserved tomato. Crush some potato chips over each serving, or sprinkle with chana-choor. We serve the dish with a tamarind chutney; you can improvise one with a mixture of ketchup, hot chili sauce and a dash of soy sauce.