Chana Masala

By now, I'm sure you all know how much I adore Indian curries. They have to be my favourite dish. In fact, Indian food in general is my favourite cuisine, with Japanese coming a close second. Each time we make our beloved vegan curry - using the same recipe - we add a different vegetable, mixing it up just slightly, and the dish becomes completely different. I love how experimental you can be! You can find our recipe for our famous curry (famous because we serve it to all our friends and family) here.Last week we opted for something slightly different altogether, and whipped up this Chana Masala dish.How to make Chana Masala:Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 Chana Masala mix (bought from our local Indian super market)
• 1 pack of green beans, halved
• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained
• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, kept whole
• 1 handful of okra (roughly 6-8), sliced
• 2 cups of basmati rice
• Salt and pepper
• Bread to serve

Method:

1. Add 2 drained cans of chickpeas to a saucepan and add 3 levelled tablespoons of your Chana Masala mix.
2. Add enough cold water to cover the chickpeas plus 1cm above. Bring to the boil.
3. Put your basmati rice into another pan, bringing to the boil, before simmering for 7-9 mins. Following packet instructions.
4. Turn the heat down on your Chana Masala mix, as soon as it starts to thicken. Add the green beans and okra.
5. Simmer for 5 mins. Judge the consistency - if it's thick add the tomatoes whole. If it's watery still, deseed the tomatoes.
6. Simmer for a further 5 mins.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve with naan or poppadoms.