Chana Masala

I adore Indian food with the deep hues, intense flavours and the tantalizing aromas. I think my apron is permanently stained with turmeric and curry. Oh, and as a side note, if you sprinkle a little turmeric on your toothbrush during your morning clean it is great for whitening your teeth.

I am always amazed when I look at an Indian take out menu. The choices seems endless and I get tired just thinking about cooking all that stuff. Indian food restaurants truly have something for everyone…vegetarian, vegan, meat, fish, chicken and on and on and on. Indian diet consists of foods such as dals, salads and curries made up of vegetables and pulses. Most of these recipes do not use calorie rich ingredients like cheese or cream unlike other cusines.

This chick pea dish is high in protein, only 6 Weight Watchers points and quick and easy to prepare. I chose to use canned chick peas purely for convenience but you can also use dry chick peas and soak them over night. Using the dry chick peas will also eliminate a lot of sodium so when choosing the canned version be sure to rinse and drain them well.

Basmati rice is my favourite type of rice to accompany my curry dishes. It is a variety of long grain rice which is traditionally from North India and Pakistan. Recently a friend of mine suggested to cook the rice with a few whole cloves and saffron to add to the aroma. I also prefer to cook the rice in vegetable stock after giving the uncooked rice a good rinse and soak before cooking.