My One Hundred and Eleventh - Chana Masala (Chickpea Masala) -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My One Hundred and Eleventh  - Chana Masala (Chickpea Masala) -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

When I choose a vegetarian Indian dish, my favorite in Chana Masala (Chickpea Masala).  Chickpeas are great to puree - just ask hummus.  There just aren't a lot of recipes with chickpeas in it except hummus, falafel, and chana masala.  Many other people have religions around Avocados or Quinoa, for me it is Garbanzo Beans - Cicer arietinum. I'd go on about the health benefits of chickpeas, but talk to your nutritionist.

When I went to my local expert Holi Indian Restaurant, and asked them to serve me two dishes I had Chana Masala in my back pocket as a third dish to bring home.  I first had Holi's version several years ago when they were serving it at a December Fair in town.  I could chew back then, but it had to be a soft food.

This is one of the dishes I can make myself in a slow cooker.  My favorite version comes from Allrecipes, which you can find online.

WARNING
This recipe does has tomatoes and chili powder, so might be an issue for mouth sores.

RECIPE

1 Part* Chana Masala

1 part warm water

OPTIONS:
Powdered Plant Protein
Turmeric
Ginger

* A "Part" is a volume measurement which just means whatever size you choose, use it for all ingredients. 

CHANA MASALA
The dish ranges from soupy to pasty.  When you puree it, it will get thicker from the chickpeas.  You might need to add a little more water - especially if you use dried chickpeas and not canned ones.

RICE
Why bother?  OK, you are a traditionalist, one part rice to two parts water

POWDERED PLANT PROTEINS
This is one of the reasons why I like it so much, it is easy to add extras and not alter the taste significantly. However, if you are using a vegan protein powder, there is a good chance it is already chickpeas.

TURMERIC AND GINGER
Research is coming out that turmeric and ginger eaten together are good for fighting cancer.  I recommend adding a little extra ginger and turmeric into the blend.  It should not change the flavor dramatically because there is already ginger as an ingredient.  Garam Masala is a blend of spices, some blends use turmeric, some blends don't.  I also add sumac spice ( my son introduced me to sumac spice).

SPICES
There is a whole lot of a teaspoon of this and a teaspoon of that.  Don't go overboard.

AROMA
The aroma will fill the house.  Sometimes the aroma is so strong, you might need a break from it.  There were a couple of Indian and Pakistani specialty stores that I visited that I could only stay for five minutes before I felt overwhelmed.  Especially, toward the end of radiation treatment.  I also had the same issue with pizza kitchens that used a wood fire to cook the pizza.

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My One Hundred and Ninth - Baingan Bharta (Mashed Eggplant) -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My One Hundred and Ninth  - Baingan Bharta (Mashed Eggplant) -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

WHen I choose a vegetarian Indian dish, my favorite in Chana Masala (Chickpea Masala).  But what is a more common dish served?

I went to my local expert Holi Indian Restaurant, and asked them to serve me two dishes- one meat and one vegetarian that would be eaten in a typical Indian household.  We can't have anything too "Hot spicy" as Cancer Survivors typically have mouth sores.  Anything with Turmeric and Ginger is a bonus, as these to ingredients are great for fighting cancer. For meat, we chose Chicken Curry; for vegetarian, we chose Baingan Bharta.

After careful consideration, mild Baingan Bharta was chosen for the vegetarian dish.  I say mild, because traditionally there are chili peppers cooked in, so If you didn't cook it make sure you ask - ESPECIALLY if you are a lip sipper. For those not familiar, it is basically eggplant, tomatoes, and spices.  He had me at eggplant.  Eggplant is just a great vegetable for retaining water, oil and spices.  In my Italian dishes using eggplant I use extra Olive oil.

WARNING
Both eggplant and tomatoes are nightshade plants.  For some people, these burn your mouth if you have sores.  Try a small taste before you take a big gulp, and make sure that you have you MAGIC MOUTHWASH on hand.

I can actually make this one myself, but if you have Grandma's recipe use it.   Whatever grandma is making is fabulous.

RECIPE

1 Part* Baingan Bharta

1 Part rice
4 parts warm water

OPTIONS:
Powdered Plant Protein
Turmeric
Ginger

* A "Part" is a volume measurement which just means whatever size you choose, use it for all ingredients. 4 parts water come from two from the Baigan Bharta, and two from the rice.

BAINGAN BHARTA
The dish is closer to a paste than a soup.  Eggplant loves to soak up as much liquid as possible.  When you puree it, you will need to use it quickly, and it will continue to thicken up. Which is why you need two parts water to one part Baingan Bharta.

RICE
White rice or brown rice? Either work for me.  Traditionally, the rice is on the drier side.  The reason is so the rice will absorb the liquid sauce, and you will have better flavor.  You will need two parts water to one part rice.  If store it overnight, the rice will continue to soak up as much water as possible, and in the morning, the blend will be thicker than you intended.  Not a big deal, just thin with more water.

POWDERED PLANT PROTEINS
Here is the beauty of Baingan Bharta.  Because of the complex spices, it is very easy to blend in other plant proteins, like pea protein.

TURMERIC AND GINGER
Research is coming out that turmeric and ginger eaten together are good for fighting cancer.  I recommend adding a little extra ginger and turmeric into the blend.  I should not change the flavor dramatically because there is already ginger as an ingredient.  Garam Masala is a blend of spices, some blends use turmeric, some blends don't.  Ask your grandmother.

CHUTNEYS
I deliberately left chutneys off the recipe.  Although most people will add a chutney to their chicken curry, many of them are very spicy, and lip sippers could be in for a lot of pain.

COMMENTS

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My One Hundred and Eighth - Indian Chicken Curry -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

My One Hundred and Eighth  - Indian Chicken Curry -100 Meals You Never Thought You Would Eat Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer patients

I should have added Indian Chicken Curry a long time ago.  Indian chicken curry is not to be confused with an earlier post #18 called "chicken curry which is more of a Moroccan dish.

Growing up in America I almost never saw Indian Restaurants.  My mom didn't cook any Indian dishes, so the only way I got some was at pot luck dinners, or friend's houses.  Today, there are lots of Indian Restaurant options in my neighborhood, which is great because it drives up quality. 

Many people think of Indian food being "TOO HOT SPICY"  the same bad rap goes for Thai food.  Yes, there are spicy dishes, but not all Indian food is Spicy.  Some people also confuse flavorful with spicy.  Yes, there are a lot of different spices in an Indian dish.  But when seasoned by a master, it is magic.

When I go to a Indian Restaurant, I typically order a Lamb dish and Chickpeas Curry (Chana Masala). But these may not be the most typical dishes served.

Last night, I went to my local expert Holi Indian Restaurant, and asked them to serve me two dishes- one meat and one vegetarian that would be eaten in a typical Indian household.  We can't have anything too "Hot spicy" as Cancer Survivors typically have mouth sores.  Anything with Turmeric and Ginger is a bonus, as these to ingredients are great for fighting cancer.

Not surprising Chicken Curry was the easy pick for the meat dish.

I'm not going to tell anyone the recipe for Chicken Curry, after all Grandma's recipe is the best.  I agree.   Whatever grandma is making is fabulous.

RECIPE

1 Part* chicken
1 Part Sauce

1 Part rice
4 parts warm water

OPTIONS:
Powdered Plant Protein
Turmeric
Ginger

* A "Part" is a volume measurement which just means whatever size you choose, use it for all ingredients. 4 parts water come from one from the chicken, one from the sauce, but two from the rice.

CHICKEN
Some people use chunks of chicken, and some use shredded chicken.  It doesn't matter which.  Since the meat is cooked in a liquid, it makes it very easy to puree. White and dark doesn't matter either when it comes to pureeing.

SAUCE

Curry sauce to a symphony of flavors.  I love a well blended sauce.  Most people make the sauce closer to a soup than a paste.  So adding sauce to the blender just makes it more flavorful, and thinner.  

RICE
Whether is it is white rice or brown rice, traditionally the rice is on the drier side.  The reason is so the rice will absorb the liquid sauce, and you will have better flavor.  None of this is an issue while blending. The issue that comes up is if you blend up a batch and store it overnight.  The rice will continue to soak up as much water as possible, so in the morning the blend will be thicker than you intended.  Not a big deal, just thin with more water.

CHUTNEYS
I deliberately left chutneys off the recipe.  Although most people will add a chutney to their chicken curry, many of them are very spicy, and lip sippers could be in for a lot of pain.

COMMENTS

Please add your comments and suggestions to my blog.  Nice to see people from around the globe reading my blog.  Please follow you want the latest recipes.

FACEBOOK
I have created a companion page on Facebook called: 100 Meals Pureed - Recipes for Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.  Sometimes it is easier to share a FB page than send a blog address.