Chana Masala

I made this classic Northern Indian dish today to serve as my lunch for the week.  This was not my best decision ever, considering that I've been feeling awful lately and mostly eating very bland foods.  The smell of the spices cooking would normally have been a very pleasing aroma to me, but it was all that I could do not to gag.  Now this will serve as Jeremy's lunch for the week, and I will stick to canned soup and saltines.  Serve with basmatti rice, naan, and cucumber raita for an authentic Indian dinner.  Next time I will double the tomatoes, because there weren't enough for my taste.

-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

-1 medium onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
-1 tablespoon ground coriander
-2 teaspoons ground cumin
-2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
-2 teaspoons ground turmeric
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-2 teaspoons paprika
-1 teaspoon garam masala
-1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
-1 lb chickpeas, cooked until tender and drained
-1 teaspoon salt
-juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until soft (about 5 min).  Add garlic and ginger, saute until fragrant (30 sec- 1 min). Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spices for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and their juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the chickpeas, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Shannon