Indian Chickpeas (Chana Masala)

I made chana masala (chickpeas) and it came out reeeally good. It is a flavorful, spicy dish with a saucy curry. I didn't have a lot of the ingredients on hand, so here are my substitutions:

• asafetida: garlic and onion powders, as in my last homemade Indian meal
• gram flour (chickpea flour, or besan): whole wheat flour, which thickened up the curry just as nicely and didn't affect the flavor of the dish. White flour would work well too. 
• green chillies: Jamaican hot pepper (scotch bonnet)
• red chili powder (not to be confused with the Mexican-style chili powder you would find in most supermarkets; it is the powder of red chili pepper): cayenne

What bean/legume dishes do you like when you need a protein fix?
Do you prefer to eat saucy curry with rice, or with naan?


Vegan on a Shoestring