Ingredients
3 - 15 oz cans chickpeas
2 - black cardamom pods
1/3 - ½ cups cooking oil
1 ½ cups chopped onion (one med large)
2 TBSP chopped garlic (6 med cloves)
6 fresh or dried dates, pitted and chopped
1 TBSP + 1 TSP ground cumin
2 tsp salt or if chickpeas are salted, 1 tsp
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 - ¼ ground star anise or 2 whole star anise
1/3 cup water
Preparation
Drain chickpeas and set aside. With a knife, lightly crack the cardamom pods. With your fingers, peel back the shell to release the black seeds and collect them in a small bowl. Discard the shells. With a rolling pin or a mortar and pestle, crush the cardamom seeds (or leave them whole if you don’t mind biting into them). Set aside. Heat oil in a medium pot on medium high for 45 seconds. Add onion and sauté for 6 - 7 minutes or until browned. Stir in garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until browned. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in tomato paste. Add dates, cumin, salt, cayenne, black pepper, star anise and cardamom seeds and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and water and heat for 3 - 4 minutes until masala is well mixed with chickpeas. Turn off heat and serve immediately.
