Chickpea Curry, Teenage Emotions, Strength Training

Chana masala (also called chhole) is a classic, crowd-pleasing Indian curry- a perennial staple of dinner parties and buffets. Last week, I gave a presentation on Indian cooking to a group of lovely, engaged community members and used chana masala as a example of how a curry comes together, breaking down the recipe to explain what each ingredient contributes. I made the point that each ingredient has to earn its role in a recipe- the way I see it, you just don't throw together spices willy-nilly into Indian recipes. They are added intentionally in particular combinations to create unique flavors. 

I make this Instant Pot chana masala regularly- it is great for meal-prep as the flavors only get better over a couple of days in the fridge, and it freezes beautifully. What's more, it results in a saucy curry but comes together in one pot- no blending required. This is a great gateway recipe if you're new to cooking Indian food. I've added some notes in italics.

Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)

• Soak 2 cups dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for 8-12 hours
• Drain the soaking water, rinse, and set aside
• Heat 2 tsp. oil in an Instant Pot insert
• Any neutral oil such as peanut, vegetable, canola, sunflower will do
• Saute 2 medium minced onions until browned
• Onions will make part of the curry base + they add a sweet note to the dish
• Add 1 tbsp. minced ginger + 1 tbsp. minced garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes
• I make ginger garlic paste and store it in the fridge for convenience
• Ginger and garlic are aromatics that add flavor
• You can change the proportion of ginger to garlic
• Add spices and stir fry for a couple of minutes
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric- flavor and color
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin + 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• Warm spices that add flavor 
• 1 tsp. red chili powder/ cayenne pepper/ paprika
• You can choose whether to use a mild or hot chili powder 
• You choose how much to add to control the heat level of the dish
• 1 heaped tbsp. Chana masala spice mix
• I like MDH or Everest brands but there are many reputed brands of spice mixes
• This spice mix does the heavy lifting of giving this dish its characteristic flavor
• 1/2 tbsp. Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
• Adds a hint of bitterness and that “restaurant” flavor
• Salt to taste - essential, brings out all other flavors
• Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• Curry base + add a tangy note
• Add soaked chickpeas and water (enough to cover the chickpeas and a bit more) to the pot
• Pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes; natural pressure release
• For a thicker curry, crush some of the chickpeas into the sauce
• Garnish with a handful of minced cilantro
• Fresh herbal finish

To make on the stovetop: Start with the oil step, and instead of soaked raw chickpeas, add cooked chickpeas, from cans or previously cooked on the stovetop.

How to serve chickpea curry

• With bread- pita, naan, roti, or even crusty rolls or sliced bread
• With steamed rice or pilaf
• Over potato patties or hash browns as chana chaat
• A raita or chopped cucumber salad is a great accompaniment
• Top with a few thinly sliced onions and serve with a wedge of lemon/lime

My question to experienced Indian cooks: is your recipe for chana masala similar to this? What would you add or subtract? I know many people like adding amchur (dried mango powder), which I typically don't.

* * *

I read psychologist Lisa Damour's book Untangled on raising teenage girls a while ago, so when I saw another book written by her on the new books shelf of the library, I checked it out immediately. It is called The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. 

The book is relevant because our daughter is turning 13 this month and she's a precocious one- I said to V, "Can you believe we're going to have a teenager in the house?" and he said, "We've had a teenager in the house for a few years already"!

Some people have such an easy and skillful way of dealing with kids. They appreciate the unique and wonderful qualities of children and teens and enjoy spending time with them. I see this admirable talent in several of my friends and relatives, and in my kids' teachers. I do not have this trait of easy interaction with young folk- the kids I like are the ones that act like adults. (And if I encounter childish adults, I run in the other direction.) Caring for kids, feeding them, taking them places, managing their lives- all of this I can do easily. Playing with kids, talking to them, relaxing and simply enjoying them...that's not so easy for me. I rely on books and personal observations to coach myself through these parenting years as I am surrounded by my kids and their friends. 

Here are a few of my notes from this book, which I found to be a very helpful read:

• Central theme: Mental health is not about feeling good, but about managing discomfort. Don't be afraid of being unhappy. The full range of emotions is a feature of normal human life. Mental health is about having the right feelings at the right time and being able to manage those feelings effectively
• Reassurance from this book
• It is normal for adolescents to behave for a considerable length of time in an inconsistent and unpredictable manner.
• The adolescent brain is undergoing a major physiological renovation
• With teenagers it is mostly true that nothing stays the same for too long
• When it comes to managing emotional distress, boys are more likely to turn to distraction, and girls are more likely to turn to discussion
• Tips for parents
• Be a steady and calm presence for your teens (a tough one for me-  I tend to be anxious and frazzled around kids)
• Cultivate a sense of true self-worth in children
• Offer three options when the teen is being unpleasant
• She can be friendly
• She can tell you what’s wrong while being civil
• She can let you know she needs some space
• Before jumping in to solve the problem or offer help/advice, just listen without thinking of what to say next. Distill the story into a headline by summarizing the situation kindly
• The psychological climate at home strongly shapes the emotional lives of teenagers
• Parents need to manage their own emotions (ding ding ding- the simplest yet most difficult thing)

* * *

A moment of fitness: What is strength training?

Public health authorities recommend 2-3 strength training sessions per week to improve and maintain physical fitness. What is this all about? In modern life, unless our lifestyles or jobs somehow involve physical labor such as hauling heavy stuff, we are not "working" and challenging our muscles regularly, so we resort to exercise programs to give them the training and regular use they need. 

Strength training is about exercising all the major skeletal muscle groups (what sort of exercises? More on that next time). And doing it regularly has incredible benefits, including

1. Stronger muscles and bones, allowing you to move better and making it easier to carry out all activities of daily life
2. Improved body composition (more muscle, less fat) which is correlated to many positive health outcomes
3. Lower risk of injury and risk of falls
4. And many more, including boosting mood and brain health and improving management of blood sugar levels

Strength training is also called weightlifting. What are these weights that are being lifted?

• Dumbbells / Barbells/ Kettlebells- When we think of weight lifting, it conjures up images of this sort of gym equipment, and they are indeed very useful for weightlifting. 
• Dumbbells are short bars with weights on either end, they come in many weights, ranging from 1 or 3 lb weights all the way to 50-100 lbs
• Barbell are longer bars (the standard one weighs 45 lbs) where you can add weight plates at each end
• Kettlebells are round weights with a handle on the top and they also come in a variety of weights
• All these tools are called free weights because you can pick them up and move around freely; they are not attached to anything
• Gym machines- Walk into any standard gym, and there are a variety of machines sitting on the floor. 
• Each machine is designed to train a particular body part
• The machine has a "weight stack"- you typically move a pin to choose the weight you want to use
• Bodyweight- We talked about a lot of equipment for lifting but you can also train muscles by lifting your very own body weight. For instance, when you do a regular push-up, you're lifting 50-70% of your bodyweight with your upper body (chest, shoulders, arms). 
• Resistance bands and similar elastic tools can be helpful and inexpensive additions to home workouts. The force needed to stretch the bands trains the muscles.

Getting started with strength training is about two things:

(a) Identifying what equipment you have access to, and 

(b) Learning to do a selection of exercises (using whatever equipment you have) to train each of the major muscle groups- which are the shoulders, chest, back, arms, core, glutes, and legs

I am lucky to have access to a gym, and I vastly prefer using free weights, although my routines typically include a couple of machines and a couple of bodyweight exercises too. As always, what you do is less important than the fact that you do some form of strength training consistently.