Savory Chickpeas in Tomato Glaze

This recipe for Tamater Kabli Ghana Usal was offered in a 1983 issue of Back to Godhead magazine, alongside an article by Vishakha Dasi about the popularity of chicken in the Western diet. She offered the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) as a great substitute in your diet, being a good source of protein and iron, as well as fiber, vitamins A and b6, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, calcium, phosphorous, sodium, and potassium.

At the time there was a lot of advertisement in the US for a fried chicken company that offered 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' and Vishakha countered with this recipe by Yamuna Devi. Not only do you get the same protein and nutrition, but you also get a lovely zesty flavor with your vegetarian version of a commercial meal. If you're creative, you can quite easily give up a meat-based diet without having cravings for things you used to eat when they're advertised on TV.

Because the recipe calls for dried chickpeas rather than canned, and also makes allowances for having a pressure cooker, please look over the instructions and cooking times carefully. For example, the total cook time for standard method is 2 to 3 hours, plus the over-night soak, but using a pressure cooker the time is only 30 to 40 minutes.

[We're also publishing the alternate chickpea recipe called 'Tender Chickpeas in Coconut-Yogurt Sauce' or Kabli Ghana Usal separately. Both are shown in the picture above. This one is the reddish chickpeas.]