Chickpeas with Mushrooms

As I noted in a previous post where I announced a giveaway for Madhur Jaffrey's new cookbook At Home with Madhur Jaffrey, the first recipe I tried from this delightful collection was this spicy Chickpea and Mushroom dish. How could I resist considering chickpeas and mushrooms are two of my very favorites and they pair so well together. This dish can be served as is but I decided that I liked the idea of presenting it in a wrap topped with yogurt and a sprinkling of hot sauce. I adapted the recipe slightly, but generally stuck to Ms. Jaffrey's instructions. For an extra special mushroom treat, serve with a generous portion of Mushroom Curry as a side.

My vegetarian readers in the UK might also be interested in a food contest hosted by Linda McCartney foods. The challenge is to come up with a meat free dish that is a complete meal in itself. The contest runs until the 28th of January. For more details, click here.

I am also submitting this recipe to Priya, who is hosting My Legume Love Affair this month, a most popular event started by darling Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Chickpeas with Mushrooms

1 cup of dried chickpeas, rinsed and soaked in enough water overnight to cover
1/4 cup of ghee, or olive oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
10 - 12 mushrooms (cremini or white button mushrooms), sliced into wide strips
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 small tomato, diced
2 -3 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
sea salt to taste

8 - 10 tortillas
fresh parsley
chopped tomatoes

Begin by cooking the chickpeas. Drain, transfer to a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until the chickpeas are buttery soft - roughly 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick. Stir and fry for a minute. Now add the onions and stir and fry until the onions begin to brown - roughly 5 minutes. Toss in the ginger and garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne. Stir and then add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to lose their liquid. Add the tomato, chopped chilies and a 1/2 cup of reserved chickpea cooking liquid (or water). Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cooked chickpeas to the pot, along with the salt and 1 cup of the reserved chickpea cooking liquid (or water). Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve as a wrap, place a few tablespoons of the chickpea mushroom mixture in the middle of a tortilla bread. Add some finely chopped tomato, chopped fresh parsley or cilantro and finely sliced onion if desired. Wrap, transfer to a plate and top with fresh yogurt or sour cream drizzled with hot sauce or with your favorite chutney or salsa.

Serves 6.

Other spicy chickpea recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you are sure to enjoy:
Shredded Paneer with Tomatoes, Chilies, Mushrooms and Chickpeas
Chickpea Vindaloo
Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Cashew Gravy
Spicy Chickpeas with Ground Pomegranate Seeds

On the top of the reading stack: 1,000 Indian Recipes

Audio Accompaniment: Marsen Jules

Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae)

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men. I meant to submit this noodle dish to last month's No Croutons Required, but tardy girl as I often am, missed the deadline. Jackie did a lovely job of rounding up the entries and you will find lots of delicious noodle dishes to satisfy your palate. This month, I am hosting NCR, and the theme is quinoa. Submit a soup or salad featuring this most wholesome food by the 20th of the month. I will be serving up a submission soon.

Japchae is a Korean noodle dish that can be served hot or cold. Made with cellophane noodles and typically served with finely chopped vegetables, and soya sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and chilies, this is surely a treat anytime of year.

Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae)
1/2 pound of Korean Noodles
3 teaspoons of sesame oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into strips
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 - 3 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound of cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 ounce of dried mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes and drained
2 fresh chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 pound of spinach, washed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of tamari
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds

Boil the noodles for 7 minutes. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Chop up the noodles with a knife and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a wok over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, green onions, carrots and stir and fry for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, chillies, and cook for another few minutes. Toss in the spinach, tamari and noodles and simmer for another few minutes or until the veggies are cooked to your preference. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

On the top of the reading stack: The Best Quick Breads: 150 Recipes for Muffins, Scones, Shortcakes, Gingerbreads, Cornbreads, Coffeecakes, and Moreby Beth Hensperger

Audio Accompaniment: Apollo Atmospheres And Soundtracksby Brian Eno.