After a long and occasionally stressful day, I returned home, excited to know that at least dinner awaited. Not just dinner: a fully, yummy crock pot of the awesome chana masala I make. And let me tell you, it is good. Rich, brothy, spicy, filling. A truly delightful dish, perfect for the end of a long work week.
I lifted the lid off the crock and knew right away that it was not to be. What greeted me – as I could tell from a glance and the barest sniff – was failure.
No broth, just a thin, faintly coloured liquid.
Chick peas looking hard instead of full and plump.
Onions and tomatoes chewy and shedding skin, rather than soft and integrated into the luscious flavour of the masala.
Absolutely no rich, textured, nourishing flavour: instead, the taste of acid in every bite.
TRAGIC!!
I dished some out, but honestly, could only eat about half of it. Even husband, constant encourager and supporter, acknowledged it wasn’t the best and did not (notably) clear his plate.
Now we have two half-filled plates (or maybe half-empty?) sitting on the kitchen counter, plus a half-full crock pot. I really don’t know what to do with it. I thought about cooking more, but I think that concentrates the acidic flavour. We could add some baking soda and/or potato to soak up the acid; plus maybe some more spices and tomato paste?? Maybe mash it up a bit to make some broth.
For now, I’m going to bundle it into the fridge and deal with it tomorrow. It’s too tragic to face right now :(.
And the peace angle: it’s only one dish. We’ll survive to cook again, and are grateful to be here, together, in our home, baby sleeping soundly, reading/writing together, on a Thursday night.