Let me say right up front: There are no pictures with this post. I know you were looking forward to the food porn, but I can’t find the camera’s SD card. Feel free to move ahead once you recover from that trauma.
Didja suck it up yet?
Okay good, let’s press on.
I don’t remember if I stumbled into this recipe or if I was linked to it, but NOM. The (Not So) in the title refers to the fact that I pretty much refuse to buy canned beans. I have an entire cabinet full of dried beans, there is absolutely no reason/excuse for having a can of beans in my pantry period the end.1 However, the recipe *does* call for canned beans so… knock yourself out. Whatever makes you happier.
But dried beans are the frugal choice here…
Also, I did not have a 20 oz can of tomato sauce. I did have a can of stewed tomatoes and a can of diced tomatoes, so I used the extra tomato juice instead of adding a cup of water. Then I hit it with my potato masher before continuing the recipe. I actually like the texture of the tomato pieces; it makes the dish more stew-like for me.
But and however: here is the original recipe (with my commentary) from Budget Bytes:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 med yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained
1 (20 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook the onion and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until softened (3-5 minutes).
Drain the canned chickpeas and add to the pot. Also add the tomato sauce, water and curry powder. Stir the pot until everything is evenly mixed. Bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium heat.
Note: I did this step backwards – added everything to the pot, mashed the tomatoes with my potato masher and THEN added the chickpeas to the pot.
While the chickpeas are simmering, rinse the cilantro and pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the leaves and add them to the pot. Give everything a stir and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced to a thick consistency (about 20 minutes total). Stir the pot every few minutes to prevent the sauce from burning and sticking to the bottom.
Another note: I did not pull the leaves from the stems, although that is a quite fitting activity for a “MOM I’M SO BOOOOOORED” kiddo. Slapped half the bundle on the chopping board, separated the bulk with a knife and ran the knife through the mess.
- 1/2 C of dry beans = 1 15oz can OR 1 1/2 C cooked [↩]