Happy Monday guys!  The next few days are going to be jam-packed with getting as much work done as possible before I leave for Athens on Wednesday night.  Although feta & tzatziki are both hugely on the brain, let’s talk Mexican food for a sec.  Despite the 15,085 kilometers distance between India & Mexico, the two countries share many similarities when it comes to food:

• For reasons beyond me, cilantro is a favoured herb
• Many dishes call for beans & legumes
• Popular carb choices include rice & flatbreads (i.e. roti/chapatti v tortillas)
• Both rely heavily on tomatoes, cumin (a.k.a jeera) & chilies
• Main dishes are often served with condiments (e.g. chutney & pickles in India, salsa & guacamole in Mexico)

In some case a few tweaks are all it takes to transform an Indian dish into something that leans more towards the Mexican side of the spectrum.  One of which is Channa Masala.  A staple dish in India, Channa Masala is essentially chickpeas cooked in a spicy and tangy tomato-based sauce, often served with grilled roti/chapatti (=flatbread), steamed rice and/or yogurt to help take the heat off.  Although Indian food is nowhere near the top of my list of preferred cuisines (shocking I know), this particular dish absolutely takes my fancy.

Given my love for all things Mexican, I decided to remix this Indian classic into a dish that could easily pass of as Mexican i.e. Chickpea Chilli.  As mentioned in recent posts, lately most of my meals at home tend to be plant-based and this has been a winner.  Guys, this has been one of my go-to dinner staples for dinner over the past two months and I don’t see this changing anytime soon.  Talk about a total fiesta in my mouth!

Full of flavor, texture and heartiness, it epitomizes comfort food. Although comfort food tends to be notorious for being nutritionally-void, that is far from the case for this Chickpea Chilli.  Between the veggies & chickpeas, this dish packs in plenty of fibre, protein, vitamin C, iron, antioxidants, and manganese…to name a few.  You bring the guac, I’ll bring the tortilla chips and let’s celebrate Meatless Mexican Monday together…because you know, Meatless Monday wasn’t enough alliteration on its own 😉 :

Chickpea Chilli –  Serves 2

• Coconut oil
• Large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2-inch piece of ginger
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 2 heaped teaspoons fajita seasoning*
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• ¼ cup water
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 2 cups boiled chickpeas

Method

1) Coat a large pot with oil and place over medium heat.  Once heated, add onion, garlic & ginger.  Once fragrant, add in the tomatoes, fajita seasoning & cumin powder.  Continue sautéing for another 3-4 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften.  Turn off heat.

2) Once tomato mixture has cooled, transfer to a mixer and grind it to a fine paste.

3) Place the same pot over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the tomato paste and water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer.

4) Stir in the bell pepper & chickpeas and continue cooking on low heat for a final 2-3 minutes.  Turn off heat and serve with your choice of sides**.

Notes

*If fajita seasoning is unsalted, add salt to taste.

**Great sides include salad, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, guacamole, Greek yogurt, grated cheese, tortilla wraps and/or tortilla chips.

What’s your favorite Mexican dish? Fajitas 😛

What’s your favorite cuisine? A tie between Japanese & Thai