Meat Free Monday meals don't get much tastier than this one from Cooking Light Magazine. Bursting with Indian spices such as cardamom, cumin, and ginger, this satisfying dish gets some meat-like heft from the garbanzos, and a luxurious mouth-feel from the fat in the yogurt.
The cardamom pods tend to float to the top of both the stew and rice, making them easy to pluck from the finished dish before serving (they won't hurt you if you miss one, but they are a bit fibrous and VERY strongly flavored, so do try to remember to pull them out). This is one of those dishes that has enough warm spice to make you crave it on a cold evening, but is light enough to have you whipping it up for an night of al fresco dining in the summer. It reheats beautifully, so you may want to make a double batch to have some easy and healthy leftovers for lunch or dinner later in the week.
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
for the pilaf:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
for the stew:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 (3-inch cinnamon stick)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce can) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, un-drained (such as Muir Glen)
- 1/2 cup plain, greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- To prepare the pilaf, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add 1 cup onion; cook for 6 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add rice and the next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 2/3 cups water and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. let stand for 5 minutes. Discard cardamom, cinnamon, and bay. Keep warm.
- To prepare the stew, heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Add 2 cups onion; cook 6 minutes until golden. Add ginger and the next 7 ingredients (through cinnamon stick); cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 2 1/2 cups water, carrot, 1/4 teaspoon salt, chickpeas and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender and the sauce is slightly thick. Discard the cardamom and cinnamon stick.
- To serve, place the rice mixture into each of 4 -6 bowls, spoon the stew over the rice. Top with yogurt and cilantro to taste.