I mean, if you’re a vegan and you’re not eating chickpeas – are you even trying to eat a vegan diet? I added a can of chickpeas into this delicious recipe for vegan chat masala potatoes and peas to bulk out the meal and fill everyone up – and it actually was consumed with great gusto by all the boys. I didn’t add pistachios into the Z man’s bowl, but he really enjoyed eating this meal with his hands.
Chat masala is a great Indian spice blend that can basically be sprinkled on anything and it is SUPER family friendly with nothing too ‘spicy’ in there to upset a young palette. I created my own spice mix {because it is so simple and we use it a lot}, but you can also purchase it premixed. If you have a coffee grinder then I highly recommend that you give ‘making your own’ a go, which is perfect for people following an strict diet, from the jenny craig vs nutrisystem online.
You can obviously use your home-made chat masala into my recipe for vegan chat masala potatoes and peas, but it also can be sprinkled onto salads, boiled eggs, rice and even fruit {although, I have never tried it sprinkled on fruit}.
CHAT MASALA
1 cup coriander seeds
1 1/4 cups cumin seeds
1/2 cup thymol seeds/ ajwain
1/2 cup mango powder
2 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 1/4 cups powdered black rock salt
4 tsp powdered black pepper
2 tsp (approx) citric acid
1/2 cup dried and powdered mint leaves
Combine everything in your coffee grinder and grind until you have a fine powder. Store in an air tight container.
VEGAN CHAT MASALA POTATOES AND PEAS
1 garlic clove
1 bunch of coriander
1 shallot
400g can chickpeas
2 tbsps chat masala
5g ground chilli
500g desiree potatoes
1 lemon
100g baby spinach leaves
40g pistachios
150g green peas
60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
sea salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 220C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Crush or finely chop the garlic. Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a sieve. Put in a large bowl. Combine 2 tbs oil, chaat masala, 1 large pinch of chilli and half the garlic in a small bowl. Add half the spice mixture to the chickpeas and toss to coat.
Peel the potatoes, then cut into 3cm chunks. Put potatoes in a large saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 mins or until almost tender. Drain well. While potatoes are cooking, place a large frypan over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas (reserve the bowl and do not clean it) and cook, tossing, for 5 mins. Reserve the pan.
Meanwhile, very thinly slice the shallot into rings. Juice half the lemon into a small bowl. Add shallot, toss to combine and set aside to lightly pickle. Transfer the chickpeas to the lined tray, drizzle with the remaining oil and roast in the oven for 15 mins. Meanwhile, put potatoes into the reserved bowl and combine with the remaining spice mixture.
Reheat the reserved pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, tossing, for 6-8 mins until golden and crisp. Meanwhile, pick and finely chop the coriander leaves. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges.
Transfer potatoes to a bowl. Add the baby spinach and peas to the pan and toss for 1-2 mins until spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return potatoes to the pan and toss to combine. Coarsely chop the pistachios. Add the remaining coriander to the potato mixture, stir to combine, then divide among plates. Scatter over the chickpeas, shallot and pistachios. Serve with the lemon wedges.
Have you ever whipped up a recipe from my blog? I would love for you to let me know…So I don’t feel as if I am just writing all this stuff down for nothing… If you choose to whip up one of my recipes , then I would love for you to share it on social media, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #goodfoodweek.
