Creamy Chana Masala*

Even though we don't celebrate Christmas, we enjoy a nice roast dinner on Christmas Day - it's hardly a religious thing, so we take advantage of all the Christmas food offers and have a nice meal when we don't need to be anywhere else and just chill with movies and Christmas specials of our favourite shows. 

We prefer mashed potatoes over roasties here, and of course, I always make too much (just as I do with rice and pasta). I know I'm not alone there, and lots of people make bubble and squeak the following day with other leftover veggies - I did it once, but my lot weren't really fans of that. 

So, here's another idea for your leftover mashed potatoes, whether it's from the Christmas dinner or any Sunday roast throughout the year, if you fancy something totally different the following day - add them to a chickpea curry, for some added creaminess!

When Seasoned Pioneers sent me a selection of their spices, I was actually going to try out their biryani masala first - but then I found something in my package that intrigued me, as I've never used it before: asafoetida. I've seen the name before but never had it in our kitchen. 

Since the Seasoned Pioneer's mission is to inspire adventurous cooks with their spices and spice blends, it only felt right to use this new ingredient instead of something I'm already familiar with! 

Known in Urdu as hing, it's a little hard to describe - it's slightly bitter, smokey, and with a slight onion-y aroma, adding a depth of flavour to the dishes. I've seen someone describe it as something that makes Desi food taste distinctively Desi, and I'd say that's a perfect summary! Word of warning though - it's to be used sparingly, if you add too much of it into your dish it'll add unpleasant bitterness.

Here's an easy recipe to use up that leftover mash, for a dish that'll also provide some different flavour after you've been eating Christmas dinner leftovers for days ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil/ghee

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste, or 1 frozen cube

• 1  tin of chopped tomatoes

• 2 tins of chickpeas

• Leftover mashed potatoes (I added about 1 cup worth)

• Water as needed, to reduce thickness

  Spices:

• 1/2 tsp Seasoned Pioneers Kashmiri chilli

• 1/4-1/2 tsp Seasoned Pioneers asafoetida 

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp methi

• 1/2 tsp haldi

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• salt to taste

  for the spices - always adjust quantities to suit your personal taste

Method:

Heat up the oil/ghee in a large pot. Add the onions and fry until they start turning brown, then add the ginger and garlic paste/cube. Once fully browned (but careful not to start burning - add a splash of water if necessary), add the tomatoes and all the spices. My tip: I usually put the tomatoes with all the spices in a blender for a quick blitz - it gets rid of any tomato chunks, and ensures that everything is thoroughly mixed.

Cook until you see the oil starting to come out on top, then add the chickpeas and potatoes. If you find it too thick, add some extra water. Cook on low heat until the chickpeas are completely soft, and as with any good curry - oil comes out on top.

Sprinkle with some fresh coriander, and serve with your choice of sides - goes well with both rice and roti or naan. This is for quite a large portion, so you can freeze the remainder for another time.

* This post was created in collaboration with Seasoned Pioneers, who kindly sent me a selection of spices to use in a recipe *