Chickpea Tikka Masala

INGREDIENTS:

For Chickpea Tikka-

• 2 cup boiled Chickpeas
• Three finely minced Garlic cloves
• ½” finely minced Ginger
• ¾ tbsp Garam masala
• ½ tbsp red Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• ½ tbsp Canola oil (or any cooking oil)
• Salt (as per taste)

For Tikka Masala Sauce-

• Two roughly cut small Onion
• Three medium Tomatoes cut in 6 pieces
• Three whole Garlic cloves
• ½” roughly cut Ginger
• Two green Chillies cut in two pieces
• ¼ cup raw Cashews
• 1 tbsp Cumin powder
• 1 ½ tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tbsp Garam masala
• 1/3 tbsp red Chilli powder
• ½ tbsp Turmeric powder
• Salt (as per taste)
• 2 tbsp Canola oil (or any cooking oil)
• 1 ½ cup water
• Cilantro (for garnishing)

THE MAGIC:

Chickpea Tikka

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. In a bowl, add all the ingredients listed under Chickpea Tikka above.
3. Mix the ingredients well to spread all the spices evenly.       
4. Spread these chickpeas evenly on a non-stick baking tray.                     
5. Bake the chickpeas in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, using a spatula stir them and again continue baking for ten more minutes.

Tikka Masala Sauce

1. In a frying pan or skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil.
2. To this, add whole garlic cloves, ginger and onion. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes, until they become translucent.       
3. Then add tomatoes, green chillies and cashews and mix up all together.
4. Using up a lid, cover the pan for 4-5 minutes, until tomatoes soften and give sauce-like consistency.                       
5. Once tomatoes soften, turn off the flame and let the mixture cool.
6. After cooling, transfer this mixture to a blending jar and add 1/4 cup water and blend until smooth and creamy.                 
7. Heat remaining oil in a frying pan on low heat and turn in a blended tomato mixture and bring it to boil.
8. Once the mixture’s colour seemed to change, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes until the colour of puree turns light golden-brown.       
9. After 5 minutes, throw in chickpeas, garam masala,  1¼ cup water, and mix well.
10. Let the sauce cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes, covered with the lid.     
11. Finally, garnish it with cilantro and serve warm with naan bread or rice.