I made this a couple of nights ago and it’s really good tasting, rib-sticking food. I made cornbread to go with it.
My only problem was that one of my daughters used a bunch of my frozen limas and I was in a time crunch and substituted kidney beans, so I didn’t “really” make it the way it’s supposed to be.
But the combination of seasonings and the tomatoes play well with the meats, and next time I’ll be sure of my supplies before I start.
So happy you enjoyed it. I’ve been using various beans, and have liked it each time.
Which recipe are you referring to?
Thanks for the prompt, Steve. Thread’s gotten on since then and threading can be hard to parse in any event, so I should have reposted it. Here it is, it’s the Polish Breton Beans recipe.
Report back on Black Chickpeas, Part 1:
I knew right away that I had enough cooked black chickpeas to go after two recipes. And I wanted recipes specifically for the kala channa. One is going to be some kind of recipe from the subcontinent, which I have yet to try.
I was happy to see the recipe above for rustic Italian Black Chickpea Soup, though I adapted it to make a side dish rather than a soup, so only a bit liquid-y.
The kala channa do have much more firmness to them even when completely cooked, which I appreciated very much. Flavor seemed pretty much the same. This is a very good flavor profile for kala channa, and it was a perfect side dish.
Next up I will try one of the others. Thanks to all, I so much appreciate the assistance and enlightenment!
Do they put off a lot of color into the soaking or cooking liquid, the way black (purple) rice does?
The soaking water became very thick and black. I cooked them in the soaking water but added some water to that for the cooking process.
For indian prep, it is customary to throw away the soaking water (sometimes more than once for beans that need longer soaking like matpe / urad and kala channa) and use fresh water for cooking. Also discussed on the Lentils thread in a few places.
Back in the days of Chowhound they had a video featuring the founder (?) of Rancho Gordo who said he likes to use the soaking water for cooking, and I’ve stuck with that ever since… though I have not done any of my own comparative research.
Tamar Adler, An Everlasting Meal, P. 107:
The liquid in a bean pot becomes broth as beans cook in it just as the water in which you boil a piece of meat does. No ounce of the water that goes into a bean pot sould be discarded…
Part 2 of my use of kala channa (black chickpeas). I wound up throwing together a kind of dal makhni, not based on a recipe, just on what I had on hand.
I threw some caraway seeds, garam masala and powdered galangal in a pan to toast the spices, added some oil, the kala channa, then butter, cream, and some urfa biber pepper for a touch of heat.
This was glorious, and the firmness of the chickpeas was a marked departure from the usual. I’m glad I found a use for these and learned something new in the bargain.
Years ago Narsai David introduced us to Orca beans, also known as Calypso or Yin-yang beans. We had them in a unique salad. He also put the ‘Nutrition Action Newsletter’ on my radar.
I’ve made them, but it’s been a lot of years since I did. We were once on a vegetarian kick. Still have one vac packed in the freezer.
“They also traded along the way and dispersed news and gossip.”
That’s just a rumor.
!
