Preparing Indian ingredients in Harlem

Whenever I think about the basic things I need to make a quick curry, I do a quick tally: an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a stub of fresh ginger root. OK good, check. Gorgeous cherry red tomatoes that I remembered to add to my FreshDirect order. Super, check. And handy spices in the cupboard that I always have on hand for nights like this: cumin seeds, dry red chilli flakes, ground turmeric, coriander powder, and ground garam masala. Terrific. If I grab a can of chick peas, also in the cupboard, and find that last bit of fresh cilantro in the drawer of my fridge, I’m in business. I can whip the most basic of Indian curries together in a matter of minutes. Plus, since canned chick peas are already cooked,  it only has to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Way better than ordering in. Earthy, spicy, tomatoey chick peas over some nutty brown basmati rice or with a piece of hot, crispy naan. Bliss in 30 minutes, I tell you.

The following is all you need for a basic Indian curry. Trust me.

There is no question that Indian curries can be complex and take a long time to plan and make. There are also the simplest of curries that most Indians eat every day. Just as Placido Domingo says, if you’re going to see an opera for the first time, see Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’ – a terrific plot that’s easy to follow, some of the most memorable melodies in all of classical music with great solos, duets, and quartets, and each act is just the right length in duration so you don’t get bored or fidgety — sometimes a basic formula has the potential for greatness.

Here is a go-to list and recipe for the first curry I teach anyone who is new to Indian cooking. It was the first thing I taught Sean, and he impressed me this weekend by reciting this ‘Top 10 list’ from memory! Of course, I can build on this simple chick peas curry by making it elaborate, with many more ingredients and steps, but this is really all you need for the basic stuff. And if Sean wants to eat curry and I’m not in town, he can make this from memory — if he can, then you can too!

Top 10 List I created for Sean: guarantees you can make a foolproof curry

1. Onion
2. Garlic cloves
3. Ginger root
4. Cumin seeds
5. Red chilli flakes
6. Ground coriander 
7. Ground garam masala
8. Ground turmeric
9. Salt
10. Tomatoes and tomato paste

Chick Peas Curry (Channa)

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

•  1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and finely minced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dry red chilli flakes
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 15 ounce can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 can water (use the empty chick peas can — rinse it well, then fill it half-way with cold water)
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro (before serving)

 Preparation

1.  Heat oil (1 tablespoon) in saucepan on medium heat along with cumin seeds (1/2 teaspoon) and dry red chilli flakes (1/4 teaspoon). Once the seeds and flakes begin to move, you know the oil is ready. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté until glassy and golden about 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste (2 teaspoons) and tomatoes (2 small, chopped) and combine well, and reduce heat slightly to medium low. Add coriander powder (1/2 teaspoon), garam masala (1/4 teaspoon), turmeric powder (1/4 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon).
3. Add drained chick peas, a 1/2 can of cold water and combine well. Increase heat, cover the pot, and bring to a boil.
4. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Top with fresh cilantro.

Tips & Tricks

Keep these things in mind to ensure your curry is truly foolproof and doesn’t stress you out:

• Watch the flame/level of heat. Once you begin, watch your burner and keep the level around medium to medium-high. This is especially important when you a) heat the cumin seeds and chilli flakes in oil and b) when you add the ground spices, tomatoes, and tomato paste — a lower flame is better so things don’t burn. You can always increase the flame slowly if you need to.

• Use the empty chick peas can as your measuring cup. When you’re making curry for the first time, you already have a lot going on using whole and ground spices. You don’t need unnecessary cooking tools/utensils, which just add more clutter on your counter. Once you rinse and drain the chick peas and add them to the saucepan, don’t toss the empty can in the recycling bin just yet. Rinse it out and use it as your measuring cup — fill it up half-way with cold water rather than pull out a separate measuring cup.

• Buy chick peas that are low in sodium. Whenever you cook with legumes like chick peas, red beans, black eyed peas, look for a can that is low in sodium — it should say “no salt added” or “low sodium” right on the front label. It makes a world of difference. A 15 ounce can of regular chick peas has around 1260 mg of sodium! The low-sodium version has around 420 mg of sodium. You’re adding some salt to the curry anyway, so you don’t need extra.

• Make it kosher. You can easily make this curry kosher by using a kosher brand of chick peas like Kedem. Leading name brands like Goya now offer kosher chick peas as well.