Kirthi is the nicest guy in the world. It’s a fact. I’ve literally never met someone so friendly, open, and just generally enthusiastic about life. We’re both CMC alum, sort of criss crossing in a few classes, and I kept tabs on him after graduation when he started traveling the world. Bouncing from country to country, experiencing different cultures, he was basically enjoying everyone’s fantasy of being in their early 20s and going all carpe diem.

He was in LA for a bit, and we caught up over coffee. He told me all about his fabulous new blog, Adventures in Decision Making, covering all of his travels. Before you know it, I had wrangled him into making his favorite “taste of home” Indian dish: Chana Masasla with Garlic Naan. This basic chickpea stew is ridiculously simple to make and absolutely delicious. I gobbled it all up right after we wrapped. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (CHANA MASALA)

8 ounce Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas)

3 Teaspoons Cumin Seeds

2 Large Onions

3 Teaspoons Shredded Ginger

2 cloves Garlic

2 Large Tomatoes

1-2 Fresh Green Chilis (Depending on how spicy you want to make it)

2-3 Teaspoons of MTR Chana Masala Powder

3 Teaspoons of Cilantro

1 Lemon

Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS

Soak chana (garbanzo/chickpeas) in bowl of 2 cups of water for 4 hours. Boil chickpeas so they have a soft and squishable consistency. Leave aside for the time being. Put olive oil in a pot at medium heat and add cumin seeds. When cumins seeds start to crack, add finely dice onions to the pot with olive oil. Add a teaspoon of salt and the garlic to the onion mixture. After onions become soft add tomatoes to the mix and cook until a uniform consistency. Stir occasionally so that the base of the masala doesn’t get burned. Add the chopped green chiles and cook for 2 minutes, or until they’re a little soft. Add the chana masala powder and ginger, and cook for another few minutes. Add Chana that has been soaking in 2 Cups of water (please include the water in the mix). Cook for 6 mins at low-medium heat. Using a half cut lemon, squeeze juice into the mix. Serve on a plate. Add freshly diced cilantro to the portion served on a plate and a few slices of fresh cut onion. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (GARLIC NAAN)

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2/3 cup warm buttermilk

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of yogurt

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

3 teaspoons of grated garlic

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (maybe unnecessary depending on your preference)

DIRECTIONS

Sift all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Combine the yeast and warm buttermilk until it foams up a bit. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, and buttermilk/yeast combination to the mix. Knead dough until it becomes soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. If you’re not sure, pull off a golf ball sized ball of the dough and pull it thin. If you can pull it thin and it doesn’t tear, it’s ready. If not, beat for another minute or two. Put a wet paper towel over the bowl and leave for 2 hours in a warm location (preferably 100 degree oven). After 2 hours, the dough would have risen. Now take dough and make small balls. Create oval shaped dough with a slight thickness. Sprinkle garlic and cilantro on one side of dough. Use rolling pin to press garlic and cilantro firmly into dough. Preheat pan to medium high. Slightly oil the pan and add the dough. Cook until one side is slightly brown then flip and cook to other side until that side is slightly brown. Brush with melted butter over garlic and cilantro side and serve with chana masala. Enjoy!