Recipe: Channa Masala

Found a great recipe for Channa Masala (a kind of Indian chickpea 'stew') on the Wandsworth NHS website. Have inadvertently lost the URL, so I've reproduced it below (with a few minor adjustments). Not only is it Candida diet friendly, it is suitable for vegetarians/vegans and has no added fat. It's spicy, but fragrant (thanks to the coriander) and very, very tasty.

Tip: To easily peel tomatoes, simply grate them! The pulp and seeds are retained while the skin is left behind. I can't take the credit; I saw Tommi Miers on A Cook's Tour of Spain (Channel 4) do it the other evening!

Channa Masala

Serves 8-10

1/2 - 1tsp turmeric
1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder
2 cm fresh ginger, crushed/grated
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed/grated
pinch of salt
4 cans tinned chickpeas, drained
5-6 green chillis, chopped
6 fresh tomatoes, peeled
1/2 - 1tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
juice of 2 lemons

1. Put turmeric, chilli powder, ginger, garlic and salt in pan with 8 fl oz/240 ml water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

2. Add the chickpeas, green chillis, half the tomato, the garam masala and cumin seeds to the water. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add 4-6 fl oz/100 - 170 ml water, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

4. In a separate container, mix the rest of the tomato, coriander leaves and lemon juice. Use this mixture as a garnish for the chickpea dish and serve either hot, with brown rice, or cold with a green salad.

Courgette and Chickpea Pancake

Courtesy of Maki at Just Hungry, I've just made her Courgette and Chickpea Pancake for dinner. The recipe worked out pretty well. I grated the courgettes, cos I don't have a food processor and added a bit of water to the chickpea (gram) flour and courgette mix to make a batter. Halfway through eating (with tzatziki and a green salad), I decided that what it really needed was a squeeze of lemon. With lemon it was good, but still missing something. I reckon it was onion. So next time (and there will be a next time!) I'll grate a shallot or half an onion into the mixture too.

Ideas for lunch, part two

Here's a couple more ideas for anti-candida suitable lunches, including a Claudia Roden recipe for home-made hummous. But first, let's start with one of my own creations!

Aubergine Pizza

Mozzarella is a 'young' cheese, which means it will contain fairly low levels of lactose, so it is suitable once in a while. Try to get buffalo milk mozzarella - avoid Danish 'pizza-style' mozzarella, it's revolting! - and make sure it isn't preserved in citric acid. Last time I looked, the Sainsbury's 'Be Good to Yourself' version was okay.

Serves 1

2 fairly thick slices of aubergine (medium-sized, sliced lengthways)
half a tin of Sainsburys bruschetta topping
packet of mozzarella
olive or sunflower oil

Lightly fry the aubergine slices in the oil until golden brown and soft (but not falling apart). Spoon some bruschetta topping on each slice. Top with generous slices of mozzarella and place under a hot grill until brown and bubbling.

Hummous

I have adapted this recipe from Claudia Roden's version published in 'Mediterranean Cooking'. Tahini (sesame seed paste) is available from health food shops, such as 'Holland & Barrett'. You'll need access to a liquidiser or, better still, a food processor, to make this recipe.

Makes a generous amount. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

1 tin of chickpeas (make sure they don't contain citric acid)
3 tablespoons of tahini
juice of 2 lemons
1 large clove of garlic (if you don't like the harshness of raw garlic, try lightly sauteing it first)
drop of water
salt to taste
paprika
olive oil

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Blend with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic (crushed) and salt, adding a drop of water if necessary, until smooth. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and a swirl of olive oil.