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Chana Masala
Aug. 18th, 2023 11:01 pmPreparing for a group camping trip, I decided I wanted a tasty recipe that met the following constraints:
- No ingredient refrigeration required - shelf stable ingredients only
- No measuring, peeling, chopping, etc required at the time of cooking
- Scalable
- One pot, and generally minimal equipment needed to lighten packing and speed washup
-All cooking can be done over high heat, so it can be made with a poorly modulating camp stove This constraint made the recipe not scale. It now needs a stove that can be turned down.
- Vegan
- Gluten free
Usually recipes this constrained are only tasty if you're on a camping trip. But I made some test runs and I think this one stands up for non-camping use as well, and there are times other than camping that it'll be nice to have such an easy recipe to make.
Pre-measure a spice mix, as follows:
1T Penzeys minced (that is, freeze-dried) garlic
1T dried fenugreek leaves (aka kasoori methi)
2T powdered ginger
1t cumin
2/3t coriander, plus another 2/3t per t of chili powder below
1t lemon pepper
2t garam masala
1t turmeric
1/2t cinnamon
chili powder to taste -- for large groups I usually leave this out, but for myself I like 1/2 t
Put in a pot and bring up to temp, one at a time:
one 13.5 oz can coconut milk (this and the other can are available as pop tops, in which case you don't even need a can opener on the trail)
one 16 oz container salsa (this recipe is intended for Tostitos brand for best availability, but it's also delicious with Ortega. Other simple, no-bell-peppers salsas should be OK too)
one 15.5 oz can chick peas (including the liquid). At large scales, put the liquid in first and bring up to temp separately.
the above spice mix
3/4 cup uncooked, dry basmati rice (this can be measured ahead and put in a container with the spices). This will need to be stirred immediately after adding so that it cooks evenly and doesn't stick to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently, for 25 minutes. If your stove doesn't simmer well, cover the pot when not stirring to ensure it doesn't lose too much liquid.
Rest for 5 minutes, then serve. Makes enough for dinner for 4 or a side for 10.
So far the largest I have made this is 12x (as a side dish for 120 people), and I am confident it would work at 24x. Past that, post-cooking foodsafety temperature control probably requires splitting the batches rather than trying to do it all in one enormous pot.
- No ingredient refrigeration required - shelf stable ingredients only
- No measuring, peeling, chopping, etc required at the time of cooking
- Scalable
- One pot, and generally minimal equipment needed to lighten packing and speed washup
-
- Vegan
- Gluten free
Usually recipes this constrained are only tasty if you're on a camping trip. But I made some test runs and I think this one stands up for non-camping use as well, and there are times other than camping that it'll be nice to have such an easy recipe to make.
Pre-measure a spice mix, as follows:
1T Penzeys minced (that is, freeze-dried) garlic
1T dried fenugreek leaves (aka kasoori methi)
2T powdered ginger
1t cumin
2/3t coriander, plus another 2/3t per t of chili powder below
1t lemon pepper
2t garam masala
1t turmeric
1/2t cinnamon
chili powder to taste -- for large groups I usually leave this out, but for myself I like 1/2 t
Put in a pot and bring up to temp, one at a time:
one 13.5 oz can coconut milk (this and the other can are available as pop tops, in which case you don't even need a can opener on the trail)
one 16 oz container salsa (this recipe is intended for Tostitos brand for best availability, but it's also delicious with Ortega. Other simple, no-bell-peppers salsas should be OK too)
one 15.5 oz can chick peas (including the liquid). At large scales, put the liquid in first and bring up to temp separately.
the above spice mix
3/4 cup uncooked, dry basmati rice (this can be measured ahead and put in a container with the spices). This will need to be stirred immediately after adding so that it cooks evenly and doesn't stick to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently, for 25 minutes. If your stove doesn't simmer well, cover the pot when not stirring to ensure it doesn't lose too much liquid.
Rest for 5 minutes, then serve. Makes enough for dinner for 4 or a side for 10.
So far the largest I have made this is 12x (as a side dish for 120 people), and I am confident it would work at 24x. Past that, post-cooking foodsafety temperature control probably requires splitting the batches rather than trying to do it all in one enormous pot.
