Potato Chickpea Masala

Adapted from epicurious.com recipe for For masala filling in recipe "Rava Dosas with Potato Chickpea Masala".

I think the masala is great alone, or on rice.

(http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rava-Dosas-with-Potato-Chickpea-Masala-356035)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes
• 1/3 cup dried grated coconut (I used sweetened, but the original recipe calls for unsweetened)
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 (3-inch) fresh jalapeño, coarsely chopped, including seeds (I used jarred since I didn't have fresh and they worked great)
• 1 (2 1/2-inch) piece peeled ginger, coarsely chopped (this is ESSENTIAL and delicious)
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cups water, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 1 (15-to 19-ounces) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I used frozen cilantro cubes from Trader Joes)
• 
  

Peel and chop potatoes. Soak in cold water. Toast coconut in a skillet over medium heat until they get golden and crispy. It took mine about 4 minutes to get perfectly golden. Transfer to a small bowl. Toast cumin seeds the same way for about a minute. (Remember to stir frequently.)

Purée jalapeño, ginger, and garlic in a blender with curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric, oil, 1/4 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth. I ended up adding more curry powder and more ginger. The purée tastes amazing and smells amazing and is just generally a pretty cool thing. There's something about Puréed sauces that amazes me.

Cook Purée over medium-high heat in a wok for a minute or two. Add onion until tender. Drain potatoes and add them to the mixture. Add cumin seeds. Cook about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chickpeas and remaining 1 1/2 cups water (you can change this depending on how think the sauce is) and then simmer another 20 to 40 minutes. (The original recipe suggests 20... I did mine 40 and it turned out great.)

Stir in cilantro and toasted coconut at last minute.

Mmmm!