Curry powder has a poor reputation, most of which it earns by being stirred into liquid instead of fried. Bloom it: thirty seconds in hot fat before anything wet arrives, and it stops tasting dusty and starts tasting cooked.
- Oil in the pan, dried onion for three minutes until it smells sweet.
- Curry powder, ginger, garlic and turmeric in. Thirty seconds, stirring constantly, and take the pan off the heat if it looks like catching. Burnt spice cannot be rescued.
- Tomatoes in immediately: they stop the spices cooking further. Cook down hard for 10 minutes until the colour turns from red to brick.
- Chickpeas with about half their liquid. Simmer 12 minutes, crushing a third of them against the pan so the sauce thickens.
- Salt, then lemon juice off the heat. Taste for acid twice.
Serves 4 with rice or flatbread. With rice, cook it to the number eating. See the rice page.