Chana Masala

[unspeakablehorror]

I made a big pan of chana masala as well as some rice today and thoroughly enjoyed it.  What's notable about this batch is its the first time I've put coconut milk in a savory dish.  This is because I generally do not like the taste of coconut in savory food and have worried for a long time that I would taste coconut if I used it in any savory dishes.  I've certainly had some bad experiences where this occurred in restaurants or with other people's cooking.  However, I thought there might have been some Indian food I've eaten in the past where this is not the case, perhaps because the spices and other ingredients successfully masked the flavor for me.

And I did not taste any coconut in the chana masala I made today. Instead I  just got the advantage of the delightfully silky and creamy texture of the coconut milk.  So I was very pleased with that. 

I also used ingredients that didn't require any chopping, so that was an added bonus.  Just used canned chickpeas, a little olive oil, spices, coconut oil, and tomato paste.  So it was nice and easy to prepare.