Stewed Tomato Chickpea

I didn't start to like eating chickpeas until I had it over six years ago. yeah, I know right, sounds crazy! In the Philippines, we usually cook black beans or white beans but I never saw chickpeas on the traditional Filipino dishes. After that first bite of chickpeas on the chana masala, I fell in love with the nutty flavor. I always add it to my grocery list, I add it to many dishes even salad.

I happened to make this dish when our fridge was literally empty and the only thing we had was some parsley. Good thing we have some canned chickpeas and canned tomatoes in the cabinet and that was it, I've been making stewed tomato chickpea since then.

When buying a brand of chickpeas, I like to get the Hosen brand chickpeas because of the quality and the price. Of course, you can use any brand of chickpeas you want, at the end of the day, you will be cooking it with some sauce and spices and it'll still delish!

The best thing about this dish is that you make a big pot of this and save it in the freezer in small containers for at least 2 weeks and even save some in the fridge, it'll be good for up to three days. Perfect for busy nights when you just come home and heat up your food plus, the leftovers of this dish even taste better! ^_-

Ingredients:

2 cans (15 ounces) chickpeas (drained and drained)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups of water (1 cup cold and 1 cup hot to melt the broth cube)
1 broth cube (chicken or beef cube)
6 cloves minced garlic
1 white or red onion, diced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons olive oil
a handful of fresh or dried parsley

Instructions:

• In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over low heat for about 45 seconds
• Stir in the onion and saute until soft about five minutes
• Add garlic and keep stirring for another two minutes
• Add the oregano, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground coriander, red pepper flakes, frequently stir for another thirty seconds
• Boil 1 cup of water to melt the broth, once broth cube is melted add slowly to the pot, then add the other cup of water, frequently stirring
• Add the diced tomato sauce and chickpeas, cook for 5 minutes under medium heat
• Lower the heat to a simmer and stir a handful of parsley, cook for another 15 minutes
• Serve with flatbread or rice & enjoy! ;)