CHOLE MASALA

Chole Masala is a delicious chana curry from Punjabi cuisine which is popular all over India. A spicy and tempting curry is prepared from white chickpeas (kabuli chana), tomatoes, onion and basic Indian spices. It is best enjoyed with bhatura (deep fried puffed Indian bread) but you can serve it with phulka, chapati or rice.

Each and every household has it's own way of cooking it, there may be slight variations in the preparation.

Ingredients:

· Chole – 1 cup

· Baking Soda – 2 pinches

· Onion - 2 medium size (roughlychopped)

· Anardana - 1 tbsp

· Water - 1 ½ cups

· Dry /Sukha Amla – 5-6 pieces (optional)

· Tea powder - 1 tsp

· Oil - 2 tbsp

· Black Cardamom - 2

· Cinnamon sticks - 1 inch

· Cloves - 3-4

· Green Cardamom - 1

· Black pepper – ¼ tsp

· Salt

· Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

· Tomato - 2 medium size (make puree)

· Chole Masala powder - 2 tsp

· Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

· Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

· Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

· Water - 1 ½ to 2 cups

For tempering:

· Ghee - 1 tbsp

· Ginger julienne - 1 inch

· Carom seeds – ¼ tsp

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

· Wash the chole well and soak it by adding little soda for 6-7 hours or overnight.

· Take a mixer jar add the roughly chopped onions and anardana, do not add water. Keep this puree aside.

· Take a sauce pan add water, dry sukha amla and tea powder. Let it boil, once done filter the water and keep it aside.

· Now heat a pressure cooker add oil, black cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamom and black pepper.

· Now add the onion and anardana paste, add salt and sauté it well. Once the onion releases oil add ginger garlic paste. Sauté till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.

· Now add the tomato puree and sauté till the raw smell of the tomato goes away.

· Add the chole masala powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder. Fry these masala for 2-3 minutes.

· Now add the washed and drained chole, also add the sukha amla and tea powder water. Give a good mix, let it boil.

· Once it starts boiling close the lid of the cooker and let it whistle 4-5 minutes.

· After that keep the flame on low and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

· Turn off the flame and wait for the cooker to depressurize naturally.

· Now for tempering add ghee, ginger julienne and carom seeds. Pour this on the chole masala and give a good mix.

· Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with batura, phulka, chapati or rice.