Cauliflower Chickpea Masala

I wish I had something clever to say about the amount of chickpeas I currently have stashed in my freezer. Instead, all I can think about is peanut butter.

I decided to try a vegan diet sometime during Fall of 2010, while living in Seoul, South Korea. Like many stories go, my journey into the world of veganism started with a documentary. The film challenged and moved my heart so dramatically that I immediately declared my allegiance to the earth and animals while living in a country with ingredient labels that were literally, well, a foreign language. It was a bold decision, but I embraced it whole-heartedly.

To further my feelings of adventure, I decided to reach out to a local vegan blogger to see if she would meet me for coffee and help me step out into South Korea as a confident vegan. Her name is Mipa, and not only did she help me learn to cook vegan meals for myself in my tiny kitchen, she also introduced me to other vegan-expats living in Seoul by way of her art shows. It was an exciting time, filled with new experiences, friends, and fun food. My new friends Sean and Kia went so far as to make me a laminated card to take to the restaurants I frequented, informing them that under no circumstances do I eat meat. It is probably good that I understood very little Korean, because there was plenty of laughter to leave me blushing each time I handed it over. Still, I took my commitment seriously and ate my way around the markets more so than I had prior to trying on veganism.

Initially, when I wasn’t with my new friends who could guide me through the menus, I snacked on a lot of peanut butter sandwiches throughout my work days. I kept a jar of it with a loaf of bread on my desk for days I couldn’t get away for lunch, and always had a spoonful or two for snacks. A few co-workers relentlessly commented on it, claiming that my diet was little more than vegetables and peanut butter — of course, not at all privy to my weekends of art shows, and market explorations, and vegan bakeries and coffee shops, and homemade Thanksgiving dinners made by Kia, complete with tofurky and every traditional side for which one could wish — made in her tiny kitchen in a tiny apartment, by people with huge, very well-fed hearts.

Ahhh, peanut butter. Ahhh, Seoul. Part of my heart will always be with you.

Nowadays, it could be easy for someone to assume that chickpeas are my new peanut butter. I use them a lot after all. In soups, salads, smashed with spices and homemade cashew mayo for sandwiches…in baked goods even! (Gasp!)

But, given how fondly I look back on my time of plentiful peanut butter consumption, I will gladly embrace the assumption. Just like I hope you will embrace this recipe featuring — you guessed it! — chickpeas.

Cauliflower Chickpea Masala

Inspired by Molly Wizenberg and Andrea Hannemann

• Olive or coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds or ground — I’ve used both
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed — or about 10 seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt — more to taste
• Pinch of cayenne — more to taste
• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Cilantro, for topping
• Basmati rice

Place a heaping tablespoon of olive or coconut oil in the bottom of a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized. You want to give this some time. The longer you let the onions cook, the more flavorful the dish will be.

Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds to prevent burning. Add the cumin, coriander, ginger, garam masala and cardamom, again stirring constantly until fragrant — about 30 seconds. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan, if necessary, to scrape any browned onions from the bottom.

Add the juice from the canned tomatoes to the pan, then add the tomatoes, taking care to break them apart with your hands or with a spoon. Next, add the salt and a pinch of cayenne. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken up. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Add the cauliflower and continue to cook until just soft, about 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas, stir so that everything is well combined, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Taste again adjust the seasoning as you wish.

Stir in coconut milk or yogurt, if you’d like, and garnish with cilantro. Serve over warm rice.