Balti Chickpea & Spinach Curry with Eggs

Our new university is pretty cool. There, I said it. Hard to admit after coming from an awesome university where we both attended AND worked, in some capacity, 6 out of the last 8 years. A school that we are deeply rooted in, connected to, invested in emotionally (and financially), and the place we call home. But gosh darn, our new university is great in its own right and in its own way. Sharing so many similarities to our wonderful W&M, PLU is a place focused on community, service and growing into its high potential as a stellar institution. A baby school, celebrating only its 125th anniversary this year, PLU is deeply rooted in its community strength and support and even as a staff member, you feel it. It's also deeply committed to serving three (really good) square meals to staff on university conference day, but that's a different matter.

As we all know, each university has its own unique culture and as a new staff member, it's hard not to be attached to what you've known and to avoid feeling like an imposter on a new campus. But I think I speak for both Will and I when we say we have felt 100% welcomed by everyone on our new campus and genuinely trust that they only want the best for us, both as employees and as people. It's a great environment to be in and working with such good people is pretty nifty. All the folks from around here also have precious Scandinavian accents (think Minnesoh-tans) and say things like "oh gosh" and "oh gee" other precious oh-syllable words, including Ta-coh-ma. Love it!! I appreciate their "ohs" probably as much as they appreciate my "y'alls," which yes, I have already been called out upon, y'all. 

Anywho, after a swanky evening event at the president's house that was open to all faculty, staff and their partners, Will and I shuffled home full of 100% locally sourced food (me, specifically, cheese and solely cheese) and crashed. He's been feeling under the weather so after a brief walk around the neighborhood, the Nyquil zombie effect took over and he's been out for the last couple hours. I took Emma out for a walk on the sidewalk outside our apartment and am now fighting Oscar's tail for control of my keyboard to share this recipe with you. This recipe! Ah yes, the entire point of the blog post. Um, yum. That's what I've got for this one. Fairly straightforward, not too spicy for Indian food, and creative with the use of the baked egg, this one was a hit in our house. Will knocked it out of the park and we really enjoyed it both the first night, but even moreso when we reheated it the second night. Like most Indian dishes, the longer you let the flavors sit, the better they taste! If you're looking for a veggie-friendly Indian dish that's not super-spicy or overly-curried, this is a strong option for you and is recommended!

Cooking Notes: The original recipe wanted us to soak and cook the chickpeas, but we elected to use the canned variety. We also were unable to find tamarind paste, so we had to do without. We also couldn't find black mustard seeds, but used brown mustard seeds which seemed to do the trick!

Balti Chickpea & Spinach Curry with Eggs (adapted from Indian; serves 4)

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained

2 tbsp veggie oil

1 tsp crushed cumin seeds

2 tsp dried coriander

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp brown or black mustard seeds (whole)

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

3 cups fresh spinach

4 eggs

Roughly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

Basmati rice, for serving

Heat the veggie oil in a heavy flameproof casserole dish and stir-fry the cumin and coriander seeds for 1 minute. Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt and spices, and stir well. Add chickpeas to the pan, cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Begin to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Stir in the spinach, then cover and simmer for another 4 minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the lid and if the mixture is liquid, cook for a few more minutes until the sauce reduces.

Make two wells in the chickpea mixture and break an egg into each well.* Cover and cook in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Serve over rice, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro if desired. Enjoy!

*If you're making this for two people over the course of two nights, keep the extra servings in your oven-safe casserole dish in the refrigerator for the second night. On night #2, bring the pan to room temperature and preheat your oven. Make two wells in the mixture and crack your two eggs accordingly. Follow original directions again until done.