Somali chickpea and potato stew

This is an adapted version of Somali beef stew, bariis maraq, but I use chickpeas instead of beef. But if you want something a little more meaty, I recommend using 1 pound of seitan that is chopped into steak-like strips or pieces, sautéed until a tad browned, then added to the stew 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking. 

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 very large red onion (or 2 medium onions), finely minced a food processor is great for this, just don't make it completely into a slurry
3 TBSP neutral-tasting oil, like canola or avacado
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP Xawaash
2 potatoes, chopped into 3/4" cubes
2 TBSP tomato paste or ~2 tomatoes chopped
6 stalks celery (chopped in half or thirds, so they fit inside pan)
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained

1 red bell pepper and/or 1-2 carrots, all chopped (both are optional)
3-4 cups veggie stock homemade or store-bought

Lime wedges and cilantro for serving

Fried banana wheels for serving, optional

Heat a dry large medium to large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add onions and dry-saute for 5-8 minutes, until the onion have become a little translucent and soft and might stick just a tiny bit to the bottom of the pan.

Increase heat to medium-high, add oil, stir well and then stir in garlic. Saute garlic 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add spice mixture and stir frequently for 1 more minute.

Add potatoes, tomato paste, celery stalks, garbanzos, carrots/bell pepper (if using), and stock. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are fully cooked, about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Once cooked, remove lid, discard celery, and cook until desired consistency is reached (should be a nice thick stew that can be served over rice). If too thick, add a little water or stock. Adjust salt and seasoning. Finish with a few squeezes of lime and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves, as well as fried banana, if eating.

Holy mole! You'll love this chole!

Chole is a north Indian chickpea dish that is simply amazing! Usually made with Indian staples of dark chickpeas called kala chana dal, mango powder, and a few other tough-to-find ingredients. So I've adapted it to be a little more favorable to ingredients I can get locally. But it's still every bit as good!

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 pound dried chickpeas
4-5 tea bags of black tea
Salt
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, juice reserved
1 tsp coriander seeds
8 cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp fenugreek
4 TBSP ghee
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 large onion, minced
1 TBSP ginger grated with microplane or finest grating of a box grater
1-2 serrano peppers, minced
3-4 cloves garlic
2 TBSP tamarind paste (Mileage will vary depending on brand--be careful. I use Tamicon brand.)
2 small pinches hing (aka asafetida) -- careful! Don't overdo it! (optional)
1/2 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped

Soak the chickpeas in water with a couple tablespoons baking soda overnight. Before you're ready to cook the chickpeas the following day, brew the teabags into about 4 cups of strong black tea and discard teabags. Then rinse chickpeas very well, place in a pot with 1 tsp salt, tea, and water until chickpeas are covered and bring to boil. Cook until soft, about 2-4 hours (a pressure cooker can do this in just a few minutes), adding water as necessary.

Once chickpeas are soft, cook off most of the remaining liquid.

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and tomato sauce a few times until broken down into chunks but not a smooth puree. Set aside.

Now, combine coriander, cloves, cardamom, and fenugreek in a spice grinder and grind into a powder. Set aside.

Heat the ghee in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When melted, add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Simmer for 10-20 seconds. Add all the spices from the grinder, as well as the whole cumin seeds. Simmer for another 10-20 seconds, until it all becomes aromatic. Add onions and saute 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add ginger and pepper. Saute 1 more minute. Add garlic and simmer an additional minute. Now, add tomatoes, chickpeas and any remaining cooking liquid, 1 tsp salt, and tamarind. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered for at least 20 minutes, until all the excess liquid has cooked off and tomatoes have broken down fairly well. Adjust salt, spices, and tamarind, as needed. Add hing, if using.

Serve with cilantro as a garnish.