I confess — I’m not a natural blonde. More of a mousy brown with gray sneaking in. So every few months I head off to see Anu at Shear Shack to get my highlights and a cut. What does this have to do with the price of tea in China you might be asking. Well, next to Shear Shack is a small neighborhood Indian grocer!

I start at the snack aisle, where I see these twirly, spiky crunchies called “muruku.” I work with several Indian immigrants, and a couple of them have brought in the home-made version of these. They have learned to bring a small ziploc bag for themselves and a LARGE ziploc bag for me. I call it Indian crack. These munchies are crunchy, well-seasoned (cumin, coriander, fennel, ?), and just a little spicy. You can’t eat just one handful, I swear. It starts with a rice and lentil flour batter that is extruded into hot oil. So not something I’m going to figure out at home. I grab a bag. I also grabbed another bag of fried snacks. Because I love Indian snacks.

I got lost in the frozen aisle next. All sorts of exotic vegetables I don’t recognize, but they do have naan. And kulcha. And paratha. And roti. And chapati. Oh my. I restrain myself to one naan and one onion kulcha. And some baby red onions. You know, just because they looked interesting.

So I get home and realize that I am STARVING. I briefly consider a muruku and naan lunch, but realize it’s probably a little heavy on the carbs. I have chickpeas and tomatoes in the pantry, an onion in the fridge, and some pepper strips in the freezer, so a vegan chickpea curry is just 30 minutes away. And I can stuff my face with muruku while it cooks

Chickpea Curry
Adapted from “Chole” in Padma Lakshmi’s Easy Exotic
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

1 onion
A couple of generous handfuls of frozen tri-color pepper strips [*]
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained and liquid reserved
2 tablespoons neutral oil
2 teaspoons garam marsala [**]
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
1 – 2 tablespoons lime juice

Put the onion, pepper, and tomatoes in a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth. I did this in batches in my mini-food-processor.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the puree and cook for 20 – 30 minutes over medium-low to medium until the onion is softened. You want a gentle simmer, not wild ploppy bubbles. If it starts to dry out, add some of the reserved tomato liquid or water, just a tablespoon at a time.

Add the garam marsala and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook about 10 more minutes, until heated through. Again, if it starts to dry out, add some of the reserved tomato liquid or water, just a tablespoon at a time. Serve over rice or with Indian bread, like the onion kulcha I just bought. Cilantro would make a nice garnish.

[*] The CGP doesn’t really care for green bell peppers. So I rarely have them on hand, fresh. What I do keep around are bags of frozen strips of bell peppers — most are a combination of yellow, green, and red. Far tastier than just the green and way better shelf-life.

[**] A mild spice blend typically with cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and black pepper, but does vary regionally. Can be bought at any Indian or Southeast Asian grocer. Penzey’s has a version as well. I sneak a little into my chili!