The Indian make great use and show creative flair in using their staples of rice, lentils, fruit, nuts, milk, legumes, and vegetables to make a seemingly endless array of dishes from biryanis and curries to pilaus and paneers that delight the appetite.

Indian Chickpea Stew
Preparation time: 20 minutes + overnight soaking
Total cooking time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Serve 6

1 1/2 cups (330 g) chickpeas
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
20 g ghee or butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
810 g can chopped tomatoes
¾ cup (185 ml) vegetable stock
2 cups (80 g) chopped English spinach
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

1. Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight, then drain. Place in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 1-11/2 hours, or until tender. Drain.

2. Dry-fry the Garam Masala, ground cumin and Coriander in a frying pan over Medium Heat for 1 minute.

3. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan. Add the fries spices, onion, garlic, turmeric and ginger and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 5-minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the chickpeas and tomato. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Place 2 cups (500 ml) of the mixture and the stock in a food processor and process until smooth. Return to the pan, add the spinach and coriander and cook until wilted. Season.

Nutrition per serve: Protein 11 g; Fat 6.5 g; Carbohydrate 25 g; Dietary Fibre 9.5 g; Cholesterol 8.5 mg; 864 kJ (205 cal)