Monday, August 27, 2018

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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