Chana Masala for School Meals

Method

For the Chickpeas

1. Soak Chickpeas overnight.
2. The next day, bring a large pot of water to the boil with your favourite aromatics and spices.
3. When the water is boiling, add the chickpeas. Bring down to a simmer and cook until the Chickpeas are soft - around 1 hour.
4. Drain the cooked Chickpeas and reserve the cooking liquid.

Spice Paste

1. Toast all the whole spices in a frying pan.
2. Add to a high powered blender with all the other ingredients and enough water to help your blender turn this into a thick paste.

For the Sauce

1. Cook the onions slowly in the oil until very soft. Season with sea salt.
2. Next, add the spice paste you made previously and cook for 5-10 minutes.
3. Blend the fresh tomatoes & tinned tomatoes and stir into the pot. Season again with sea salt and keep tasting to check the seasoning.
4. Add the chickpeas and some of the cooking liquid. (I used around 2 Litres but this depends on how much more the chickpeas need cooking and how thick you like your sauce).
5. I let my sauce continue simmering at this point for a further 1.5 hours to really let the flavours combine
6. When I was happy with the texture of the chickpeas and the consistency of the sauce, I turned off the heat.
7. Finish with the lemon juice and coriander. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.