Spicy Chickpeas Recipe

1 cup chickpeas
5 cups water
2 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small Serrano chili, seeded and minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon cumin
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
3 medium sized tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced (or use canned)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

directions:
1. Rinse the chickpeas well. Soak overnight in the water. The next day, cook the chickpeas in the same soaking liquid until tender. Let cool in liquid and drain right before using, reserving cooking liquid.

2. Saute oil, onion, garlic and Serrano chili until tender. Add spices to ‘toast’ them a bit. Add drained chickpeas and diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes with some of the bean cooking liquid so the chickpeas are ‘saucy’ more than ‘soupy’. Serve with millet crepes or millet polenta.

(c) Lauren Feldman