Chana Masala.
The one meal bowl which the family and I absolutely love. I have made this umpteen times and I usually need to make a big lot to last for at least 2-3 meals. Yeah! It only took this long to document one of my favorite recipes here which has been perfected for over the years.
How to make this –
Ingredients –
350 gms chole/chickpeas
2 large onions chopped roughly
4 medium tomatoes chopped roughly
3 tbsp scraped coconut (I promise you cannot taste coconut in the recipe, but adding this is highly recommended)
3 tbsp whisked curd
1/8 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp crushed ginger garlic and green chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp chole masala
2 tsp dried mint – crushed
1 tsp kasuri methi
4 tbsp cold pressed oil
1 tbsp ghee
Whole spices – 2 star anise, 2-3 cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 1.5 inch cinnamon, 3-4 cloves, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf.
Method –
Soak the chickpeas overnight (add strained black tea while soaking).
Pressure cook the chickpeas to upto 3 whistles or until it’s fork tender. Drain and do not throw away the water in which it’s cooked.
Heat ghee and oil in a pan and sauté the whole spices except cumin seeds, until they turn fragrant. Remove them carefully from the pan. Now add cumin seeds and garlic ginger green chilli paste. Sauté for a minute.
Mix in the onions and let it cook until they begin to turn brown and then mix in the coconut. Keep the flame at medium. Add the tomatoes and salt and let it all cook until they turn mushy and releases oil. Switch off the flame and let the mix cool down to room temperature. By mixing 1/3 cup water blend the mix into a smooth paste.
Heat another tbsp of oil and cook the paste until it again releases oil on medium low flame. Lower the flame to low, mix all the spices in the whisked curd and then add that in the pan. Stir continuously until it releases oil. Let it cook for another 3-4 mins on low flame.
Now add the chickpeas and mix it well. Add the saved water and coriander leaves. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 20-25 mins on low flame. Remove lid and add kasuri methi and give it a good mix.
Serve with steamed rice, raw onions and a generous drizzle of lemon juice.
Enjoy!!!
Notes –
If you want to make it vegan, swap the ghee with more oil and curd with coconut milk.
If you like this chana masala recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
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