Healthy Quinoa Chickpea Bowl

RECIPE INGREDIENTS: (3 to 4 servings)

To fry chickpeas:
1 Can (398ml) of cooked Chickpeas (low sodium) - home cooked chickpeas will be 275g by weight water NOT included
1 to 2 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
Salt to taste (I have added 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt)

To cook quinoa:
1 cup Quinoa (190g) - thoroughly washed & drained
2 to 3 tablespoon Olive oil
1 cup onion (135g) - chopped
2 teaspoon garlic (3 to 4 cloves of garlic) - chopped/grated Or to taste
2 teaspoon ginger (1/2 inch ginger approx.) - chopped/grated or to taste
3/4 cup (175ml) Strained tomatoes OR passata
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (OPTIONAL)
1 + 1/2 cup (350ml) Water
Salt to taste (I have added 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt)

1/4 cup (40g) raisins - finely chopped
1/2 cup (45g) parsley - chopped

METHOD:

To a heated pan add the cooking oil and chickpeas. Cook on medium high heat until chickpea starts to crisp up (it take about 2 to 3 minutes). Then add paprika, ground black pepper and salt. Fry for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the chickpeas are nicely coated with the spices. Transfer to a plate and set it aside for later. Make sure to use a plate so that the chickpeas are spread out (this will prevent it from getting soggy)

Now to the same pan add some cooking oil, onion and salt. Adding salt will release moisture from the onion and will help it cook faster so please don’t skip it. Fry on medium-high to high heat (depending on the heat of your stove) just until the onion just starts to caramelize (it will take about 4 to 5 minutes).

As soon as the onion starts to caramelize, add the ginger and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium low and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Next add the strained tomatoes/passata and let it cook for about 2 minutes, in the mean time wash the quinoa thoroughly with water and transfer to the pan along with ground cumin and cayenne pepper. (Cayenne pepper is optional). Increase the heat to medium-high, add water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked.

Uncover and check to see if the quinoa is cooked. It should be cooked by then but if not cook it for a bit longer. Turn off the heat, add parsley, raisins and fried chickpeas and mix well. (Please DO NOT skip the raisin, as it will balance out the tartness of the tomato. Also, it’s important to finely chop the raisins so that it can disintegrate in the dish and you won't even notice it). Check for seasoning. Ready to serve.

This is perfect for meal prep as it stores well in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.