Chole Masala

First of all, my sincere apologies for not catching up with any of your posts! Last weekend had been quite hectic because V had suddenly planned for a weekend trip to Venice and till the very moment I took the train, I was on my toes! And needless to say the after-math of the trip!! House full of clothes to be washed, shopping bags, clutters.. Yeah yeah! I partially attribute my absence to my laziness too ;)

I'd be back to my routine of blogging from tomorrow and this quick post is just to remind you (in case you've forgotten) that this poor soul still exists! :D And the most important part, I have not yet updated the recent awards my buddies have shared with me. So one more Sorry for that too! I'll post it soon dearies! :)

This easy Chole goes well with Bature (recipe will follow soon) or as a quick chat by itself. You can also use this for Chole tikki. I adapted this recipe from Manjula's Kitchen and tweaked it to my taste. I am sure most of us would have enjoyed her simple, yet delicious recipes. She makes even the complex of recipes in a simple way!

Chole MasalaChickpeas cooked in spicy gravy

What we need:

Kabuli Channa / Chick peas - 2 cups

Tomato puree - 1 cup

Chilli powder - 1 tbsp.

Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp.

Asafoetida - a pinch

Besan / Gram flour - 1 tbsp.

Garam masala - 1 tsp.

Ginger- Garlic paste - 1 tbsp.

Amchur /Dry Mango powder - 1 tsp.

Chat Masala - 1 tsp. Optional

Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tsp.

Oil - 2 tbsp.

Salt - according to taste

Water - as needed

Chopped Onions and Coriander - for garnishing

How to do:

1. Wash and soak the chick peas overnight or for 5 to 6 hours. Change the water and pressure cook the chick peas till soft. Drain and reserve the water.

2. Heat oil and add cumin and asafoetida. When they sizzle, add the ginger-garlic paste.

3. When they are done, add besan. Fry till the flour starts to turn brown.

4. Add the tomato puree, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt and stir well.

5. When oil starts to separate from the gravy, add the cooked channa and mix.

6. Now add the reserved water (in which channa was cooked) and mix.

7. When the gravy comes to a boil, sprinkle the garam masala, amchur powder, stir and remove.

Garnish with chopped onions, coriander and serve.

Notes:

1. Sprinkle some chat masala and dash of lemon juice to serve as a lip-smacking starter.

2. We can omit the garlic part on festive days or for the non-garlic eaters!

3. To serve as gravy, add one more cup of water and increase the besan accordingly.

4. To obtain a dark color for the channa, cook it along with a tea bag and discard the bag after cooking.

Happy cooking and happy blogging!