Roasted sweet potato chana masala

Last Sunday I was out with a friend watching the Patriots play the Browns, and I “helped” her make a grocery list. She was planning to make this recipe and I decided to borrow that idea! While I got a great meal idea, we did leave the bar with about 2 minutes left in the game…and missed that crazy onside kick that led to the “W”.

I tripled the amount of sweet potatoes and decided to roast them instead of cooking them in the microwave. I also added some oil to facilitate the roasting and used 2% yogurt instead of the full fat stuff. The original recipe calls for “1 pint of crushed tomatoes”, which I didn’t realize and I used petite diced tomatoes instead…which seemed to work with the addition of a little water, which is noted in my version of the recipe below. 

I was told that this recipe tastes even better the second day. Since I didn’t start cooking this until after dinner one night, I have no idea how it tasted on the first day. I can attest to its yumminess on day 2, especially with a side of garlic naan from Trader Joe’s.

Medium-sized?

Roasted sweet potato chana masala
Source: adapted from Food52
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (3 cups)
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp butter or grapeseed oil
1 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 tsp garam masala

The finished product

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (adjust to taste)
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss diced sweet potato with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake about 15 minutes, tossing once about halfway through.

Dinner with a side of garlic naan

2. Heat the butter in a large stockpot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft. 

3. Add the coriander, cumin, cardamom, garam masala, and ginger and toast in the butter and onions for 1-2 minutes. Add the serrano chile and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the yogurt and cilantro and cook, uncovered, for 5 more minutes, or until hot.