Recipe
Sangeeta Garhyan, who is the information technology (IT) whiz in the CoAg/AAES Ag Communications and Marketing unit, is a native of India and often treats her office mates to Indian cuisine. She came to Auburn in 2001 and started working in the College of Ag as an IT assistant in 2002. She graduated from Auburn University with a master's degree in computer science in August 2004. Unfortunately for us, she will be leaving this fall to move to Michigan. We will miss her exceptional IT talents, her smiling face and, of course, her fabulous cooking (she is a vegetarian and a big advocate of vegetarian diets because they are both healthy AND easy to prepare).
Though Garhyan has traveled extensively around the world, she loves the United States, and especially Auburn. "Working in College of Ag has been the best part of my life in Auburn. I feel as a part of family here," she says. "People here are very helping and caring, and interacting and exchanging my thoughts with my colleagues has given me a great opportunity to know about the American culture."
Curried chickpeas is one of Garhyan's favorite dishes (and one of her office mates' favorites). For Garhyan, cooking is a pleasure, not a chore. She likes experimenting with different spices and feels spices can improve the palatability and the appeal of dull diets. "Spices constitute an important group of agricultural commodities, which are virtually indispensable in the culinary art," she adds.
Indian Curried Chickpeas
Chole (serves 4-5)
(Indian Curried Chickpeas)
3-4 tablespoons oil
2 bay leaves
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2-3 whole cloves
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ginger paste or fresh minced ginger
2 teaspoons garlic paste or fresh minced garlic
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped, or
1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cans chickpeas
1 tablespoon chickpeas spices
(chana masala) *
2-3 teaspoons cumin powder
1 1/2 teaspoons red chili powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Hot cooked rice
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cloves and cook for 10 seconds. Add the chopped onion and ginger and garlic paste, cooking until onion is tender and lightly browned. Stir in tomatoes and cook 8-10 minutes, until the oil starts to separate. Add the cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook 1 minute. Add cilantro and continue to cook for five minutes. Stir in chickpeas and enough water to make a gravy. Stir in chickpeas spices, mixing well. Bring to a boil over low heat. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes after it comes to a boil. Add lemon juice. Serve hot with cooked rice. Makes 4-5 servings.
*Chickpeas spices, or "Chana masala," can be bought from: http://www.namaste.com.