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Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

Dinner with Rukmini

Browse all of the recipes in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbooks by ingredient.

Chickpeas with Tamarind, Kale and Ginger

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Chickpeas with Tamarind, Kale and Ginger

Tart tamarind paste elevates this simple chickpea and kale dish, creating a warming sweet and sour dish that comes together in just 30 minutes.
Serves 4
Total 40 min
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Easy

Introduction from Rukmini Iyer

This is hands-down my favourite way to cook chickpeas. The tartness of the tamarind, along with a tiny bit of brown sugar make for a really moreish dish – hot, sour and slightly sweet, perfect to scoop up with flatbreads and yogurt. If I come across a tin of miniature brown chickpeas, known as kala chana, then I often use this recipe (without the kale) to top canapé-sized potato cakes with a half teaspoon of yogurt and a couple of coriander leaves on top.

Ingredients

1 onion, thickly sliced
2 inches ginger, grated
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 x 700g jar chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
3 tbsp tamarind paste
300ml water
100g kale, finely chopped (remove and discard the tough stems first)
roughly chopped fresh coriander, to serve
Storecupboard:
2 tbsp olive or neutral oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 heaped tbsp dark brown sugar

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat; when hot, add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the onion and stir-fry for 6–7 minutes until just browning at the edges. Add the ginger and chilli flakes, stir-fry for a further minute and then add the drained chickpeas, tamarind paste, water, salt and sugar.

Stir, then cover and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the chopped kale and simmer, uncovered, for a further 5 minutes until the kale is just cooked and the liquid has reduced. Taste for salt and add more as needed. Scatter with fresh coriander just before serving.

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From the book: India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day

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