Given how delicious they are, there are dozens of ways to cook garbanzo beans ~ this is a simple yet delicious recipe and the leftovers will taste even better. Do not skip the step of soaking the beans overnight, this speeds up the cooking process a lot.
serves 4
ingredients
1 cup garbanzo beans, soaked overnight in the refrigerator
7 to 8 stalks asparagus
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup minced onions
1 1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces (or other root vegetables)
4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons unpeeled grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 to 2 cups of greens (such as watercress, arugula, spinach, or just herbs)
instructions
Drain the garbanzo beans and add 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring them to a boil in a large stockpot. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until they get soft.
If using asparagus, discard the bottom 2 inches and cut the rest into tiny wheels leaving the tips intact. Chop the greens.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and pop the cumin seeds. Immediately, add the minced onions and carrot and cook on medium to low heat until the onions are golden brown — this will take about 15 to 20 minutes. If possible, keep the onions covered and make sure the onions are not burning. If they appear to be sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Add the garlic, turmeric, and chili powder. Almost immediately, add the tomatoes and ginger. Cook this mixture for 5 to 7 minutes on low heat. Add the asparagus and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then turn the heat off.
Add this masala along with the chopped greens to the garbanzos, which should be cooked and soft by now or let the masala rest until the beans are cooked through and add the greens just before serving.
notes & variations
Replace the garbanzo beans with white navy, black, or red pinto beans.
When cooking the beans, make sure there is no more than one cup of liquid left over. If the beans are done and there is a lot of liquid left, before adding the masala, increase the heat and let most of that liquid evaporate.
Add 4 to 6 ounces of ground meat at the same time when adding the onions.
Add heavy cream or coconut milk to make it a richer curry.
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