Chana Masala (Chickpea Stew)

Don't be intimidated by this list of spices. It is a lot but that is pretty typical of Indian food and trust me, it adds up to delicious. Even my two year old niece who won't eat anything but mac and cheese ate this. Ok fine, I told her it was mac and cheese but it's not MYYYY problem if she can't tell the difference.

Chickpeas stewed in tomatoes and loads of spices including ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, chili, cumin and pepper.

Chana Masala
1/2" piece fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
 1/8 tsp ground cloves

2 tbl coconut oil
1 serrano chile, seeded, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, small dice
2-15oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup packed baby spinach leaves
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all of the spices in a mortar and pestle and mash into a paste.
Add the oil and chile into a pot and bring up to medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 7 minutes until the onions are tender and start to brown. Add the spice mixture. Toast for 2-3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes or so to make sure it does not stick to the bottom. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice and 2 tbl of cilantro. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.