Ten-minute Chana Masala

A couple of weeks before The Secret of Cooking was published, I got talking with someone at a party. He said that the thing he really hated about recipes was ones that claimed to take only ten minutes. 'Why?' I asked. 'Because they are always lying', he replied.

His words made me panic because I knew I had this recipe for Ten Minute Chana Masala in the book and that it was one of my favourites. So I went home and retested it. Reader, it only took eight minutes. Honestly!

By using spring onions instead of regular onions and fresh tomatoes instead of tinned, you can get a full-flavoured chana masala (Indian chickpeas) on the table in under 10 minutes. When it isn't peak tomato season, I do sometimes use a can, in which case, I simmer it for an extra ten minutes. You will still have saved yourself masses of time by using spring onions (scallions), which soften and sweeten so quickly.

You blitz the fresh tomatoes with a hand-held blender. But if you don't have a hand-held blender, grating them on the coarse side of a box grater would also work.

I would happily eat this for lunch almost every day, and leftovers are good for breakfast with a fried egg.

Serves 2

2 tablespoons oil
4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
2cm piece of ginger, grated
250g fresh tomatoes, washed and blitzed with a hand-held blende
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon garam masala
1⁄4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1⁄4 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 × 400g tin of chickpeas, drained

In a wide sauté pan or frying pan, heat the oil and cook the spring onions until just softened – a minute.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute more, then add the tomatoes and tomato purée plus 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt. Simmer for about 2 minutes, then add the spices and chickpeas and simmer for a couple of minutes more or until the sauce is thick and delicious.

Check for seasoning. If you have any green herbs, tear or snip some over. Coriander/cilantro for preference but basil is also nice or even chives.

Serve with flatbreads, pickles and cool yoghurt or on hot buttered toast.