Here is an everyday dish with a fair number of ingredients. Once you have them all prepared and assembled, the rest is fairly easy. Remember that you can chop the onions in a food processor. I have used two 15-ounce cans of organic chickpeas, draining them to separate the liquid so I can measure it. If you are not using organic canned chickpeas, use water instead of the can liquid. If the can liquid is not enough, add water to get the correct amount. Serve with Indian or Middle Eastern breads (you can even roll up the chickpeas inside them) with Yogurt Sambol with Tomato and Shallot, page 249, on the side. At a dinner, add meat and a vegetable.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　2 tablespoons ground coriander

　　2 teaspoons ground cumin

　　1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　4 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　1/2 cup finely chopped red onions or shallots

　　2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

　　2 cloves garlic, crushed to a pulp

　　1 cup finely chopped tomatoes

　　3 3/4 cups drained canned chickpeas

　　1 1/2 cups liquid from can if organic, or water, or mixture of the two

　　2 medium boiling potatoes (5–6 ounces), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　

Step 1

Mix together the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a medium-sized pan and set over medium heat. When hot, put in the onions. Stir and fry for 3–4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir for a minute. Put in the spice mixture from the bowl. Stir for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes or until the tomato has softened. Add the chickpeas and 1 1/2 cups of the liquid from the can, adding water if needed (see above). Then add the potatoes and the salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 15–20 minutes.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.