Indian Butter Chickpeas

Don’t use coconut milk. It actually ruins what is a classic Indian dish eaten in every part of India - and our mothers and grandmothers have figured out over the centuries that coconut or its extract/milk is not a good match for the gentle, buttery taste of chickpeas and actually muddies the flavor. (Prakash and Sumam - thanks for the sage comments).

Two alterations to take this to a WOW-level dinner. First, puree the onions, spices, and tomatoes together before adding the coconut milk and chickpeas. This makes a silky, more restaurant-style sauce. Second, I found this recipe made a lot more sauce than the chickpeas needed, so I cubed up some extra firm tofu and added that in. The tofu soaks up all of the spices and feels like a paneer, but with much less fat and much more protein. Will DEFINITELY repeat.

I'm not understanding the need to judge Martha's adjustments to the recipe. What's the problem? She's suggesting that the recipe is flexible enough to substitute other proteins for the chickpeas. She is not arguing that other people should make it "non-vegetarian," "non-Indian," or should not follow the recipe exactly. Totally confused here by the need to scold Martha for adjusting it to her needs/pantry/taste.

You don't have to use butter. The original Punjabi recipe used ghee - clarified butter- but South Asians have a pretty high incidence of cardiovascular disease, so most modern recipes use vegetable oil (and no saturated-fat coconut milk) with a teaspoon or two of ghee added right at the end for flavor.

Why don't more people use a potato masher to break up whole canned tomatoes? It's so easy.

Make this recipes exactly as follows because it is delicious. I've already made it three times, just during Covid 19 Lockdown. My only augmentation was to cook the chickpeas myself because I need to justify my Instant Pot.

Alright y’all—let me give you my hot take. 1.5x all the spices, garlic, and ginger. Wait to add the garam masala until you’ve added the tomatoes. Take an immersion blender to the whole Dutch oven once you add the tomatoes. Use light coconut milk because.....hot girl summer is upon us......and party on. Serve with lime and cilantro, maybe a little Greek yogurt. Oh, and add lots of red pepper flakes because........duh. This recipe, with everyone’s help, slaps.

There's a highly similar dish (without the coconut milk) using red kidney beans, called "Rajma" (="red beans" in Punjabi - these beans, like chilies/tomato/potato, were introduced from the Americas) that is slightly heavier on the ginger, and lighter on the fat.

Only had one can of chickpeas (thought there was an endless supply in the pantry) at home but I did have cauliflower. Otherwise cooked as directed. Fantastic! I can imagine a lot of vegetables being very good in this dish.

I used smoked paprika, which gave the recipe even more body. I also added a bit of tamari and a half tsp of cinnamon, and added some red lentils to the mix as well (along with some extra water).

This is delicious and so easy! I had some bay scallops so I used those instead of the chickpeas. You could use any protein you have on hand. I also used 1 cup of heavy cream instead of the coconut milk and about 1/16 tsp ground cinnamon instead of the stick because that was what I had on hand.

Since the coconut milk is full of calories, I swapped out the butter for one tablespoon of olive oil. I also added a squeeze of lemon at the end. I guess that my amendment alters the intention of the recipe, but I am healthier for it and it’s also vegan. The dish also is quite tasty.

I'm allergic to coconut. Is there are substitute for the coconut milk?

I substituted whole milk for the coconut milk and it turned out great. You will want to use less milk (~1/2 to 3/4 less) than it calls for as I understand that coconut milk has a thicker consistency.

I'd make this with paneer. Mmmmmm.