Chana Masala / Chole / Spicy Chickpeas Curry

The mouthwatering Punjabi dishes have become synonymous to north Indian cuisine among the Indian restaurants world wide.This chole or chana masala is one of the ubiquitously found and most popular one among the above genre. Depending upon the cooking methods, there may be slight variations in the flavor and the color of the dish but the basic idea remains the same. Call it chole masala / chana masala / Punjabi chole, cooked garbanzo beans are served in a spicy tomato - onion base and is a truly delectable one for spicy food lovers.
It is a surprise that I haven't posted this chole recipe yet considering the fact that it is prepared at least twice a month in my home. It is a favorite of mine and my son's. Anyhow better late than never and here goes the recipe, my style.

Ingredients: (Yield 4 servings)
1.5 cups garbanzo beans / chana
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp grated ginger / ginger paste as needed (I usually use 2 small chunks of ginger and grind it at the end along with some onion- tomato sauce.)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chana masala powder (Any good quality store brought powder will do.)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1 tsp kasoori methi
Cilantro to garnish

Method:
* Soak garbanzo beans overnight in plenty of water. Throw away the soaked water in the morning and rinse the soaked beans well with fresh water. Place the drained beans in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them. Cook until tender. Alternatively, the beans can be cooked in a sauce pan too but it takes longer.
* In the mean time, heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to turn brown, add ginger, onion and turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the onion turns transparent. Next add the tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
* If you prefer gravy, take out a small portion of cooked onion - tomato mixture and a few Tbsps of cooked beans. Grind the mixture adding a little water if needed.
* Now add this ground paste, the rest of the cooked garbanzo beans, salt, chili powder, coriander powder and chana masala powder to the onion - tomato sauce. Add some water if needed. You can use the water used to cook the beans. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add kasoori methi, stir once and let it simmer for a few minutes, for the flavors to mingle.
* Garnish with cilantro and green chillies if desired. Serve with roti / bhature / naans.

Note:
1. Even canned garbanzo beans can be used if you have time constraints but remember to wash the beans thoroughly before using.
2. Soaked beans can be put in freezer in advance so that they come handy while cooking. A better option would be to freeze the cooked beans. However remember to cool the beans immediately after cooking and freeze.

Linking this to blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.
Today is the last day of marathon and here is a recap of what I posted so far -

Under "Something Sweet" theme
Day 1 - Carrot - Apple Muffins
Day 2 - Kesar Sandesh / Sondesh 
Day 3 - Chocolate Chip - Oatmeal Cookies 
Day 4 - Microwave Apple Crisp
Day 5 - Blackberry Cobbler
Day 6 - Dates - Coconut Kheer
Day 7 - Eggless Banana - Semolina Cake

Under "Delicious Dals" theme
Day 1 - Masoor Dal Khichdi (Masoordal)
Day 2 - Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi (Dalia & Urad)
Day 3 - Chayote Kootu (Chana dal)
Day 4 - Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu (Chori beans)
Day 5 - Dry Sweet Pongal (Moong Dal)
Day 6 - Moong Sprouts - Aloo Tikki (Green gram)

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Moong Sprouts - Aloo Tikki

I made these patties/tikkis today with some leftover homemade green gram sprouts I had and surprisingly, they turned out to be very addictive. I couldn't stop at 1 or 2 and was craving for more. These spicy patties obviously have a southern touch. They have a crispy exterior and soft interior with sprouts in between that not only add a crunch but make these patties special.

Ingredients for 8 tikkis / patties:
2 potatoes (about 1 cup cooked & mashed potato)
1/2 cup moong sprouts
2 minced green chillies
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp each - minced cilantro & curry leaves
2 Tbsp besan + 1 Tbsp rice flour*
Salt to taste
Oil to pan fry the patties
* I fried half of the batch and realized that I had bread crumbs in freezer and so added about 1/4 cup crumbs to the other half batch. If you don't have the flours, substitute 1/2 cup bread crumbs instead.

Method:
* Mix well all the ingredients with out adding water. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Grease your palms and shape the balls into patties.
* Place them on a shallow pan, add a few tsps of oil and fry them on low flame until golden on both sides.
They are spicy enough to be served on their own or can be served with ketchup. Or else they can be used in ragda patties recipe as well.

Linking this to blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

My posts so far, under "Delicious Dals" theme are -
Masoor Dal Khichdi (Masoordal)
Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi (Dalia & Urad)
Chayote Kootu (Chana dal)
Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu (Chori beans)
Dry Sweet Pongal (Moong Dal)

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Sweet Pongal (Dry Version)

If you are noticing the discrepancy between the title and the image, that is my doing. There are a few recipes where I can't beat my mother and this particular one is among them. As the title suggests, this pongal is not suppposed to be wet and mushy as the typical sweet pongal versions. This one is fairly dry and you must be able to notice each grain separately when done in the way it should be done. :) My mother cooks it to perfection but I have never been able to attain the required texture.
I had prepared it on Sankranthi day a couple of weeks ago and this time came closer to my mother's version and so thought of republishing it. It appears moist since I took the images soon after the preparation. It was dry after leaving it at room temperature for a couple of hours. The color of the pongal depends upon the jaggery used and my mother's version always looks darker. This pongal is very delicious but alas I can't prove the point with these images :)

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup moong dal 
1 cup jaggery powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup dry coconut, grated 
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder 
Ghee as needed (You can be as generous as you can.)
1 Tbsp each cashews and raisins
2 ½ cups or a little less water

Method:
* Dry roast moong dal until you start to feel the aroma. No need to turn the moong dal red.
* Wash the rice thoroughly. Pressure cook both the rice and moongdal together adding water, until two whistles.
* Heat a pan / wok. Add jaggery and a tbsp of water to it and let it cook on a medium flame till you get the desired consistency.
The desired consistency is that you must be able to form a small ball when you put few drops of syrup into the water. For this purpose, keep a small plate with 2 Tbsp of water near the stove. If you are not able to form the ball out of the syrup and it just melts in the water, then syrup is not ready and you must keep boiling the syrup. It would be done in around 3 –4 minutes.
* After the syrup is ready, turn off the stove. Add the cooked rice - moongdal mixture, grated coconut, cardamom and mix well. You don’t have to cook further.
* Heat ghee in a small pan, toast the cashews and raisins and add to the pongal.

Note:
1. Coming to the ingredients measurements, there is no need to use the standard measuring cup. For this recipe, the ratio of Rice : Jaggery : Moong dal is always 2 : 2 : 1.
2. This pongal is supposed to be very dry and not mushy. I did use 2 & ½ cups of water to the 1 & ½ cups of rice and moongal mixture. It turned out good. I think 2 & ¼ cups of water will yield the right texture (like in my mom’s pongal).
3. Keeping cooked rice- dal mixture ready before preparing the jaggery syrup is a good idea. If you do the other way, the syrup becomes much thicker. 

Linking this to blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

My posts so far, under "Delicious Dals" theme are -
Masoor Dal Khichdi (Masoordal)
Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi (Dalia & Urad)
Chayote Kootu (Chana dal)
Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu (Chori beans)

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Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu

When I saw Gayathri's announcement recently about an event revolving around our childhood favorite dishes which we never got to learn about, two recipes came to my mind instantly. Surprisingly both the dishes were not from my mother's kitchen but from my MIL's. That's probably because I have been planning for so long to post them. Besides, most of the recipes I publish here are the ones I grew up eating and thanks to my ma, I know how to prepare most of my favorite foods. Naturally, my focus shifted to my beloved late MIL.
One of those recipes happen to be this rustic, very yummy homestyle dal because it takes my husband down the memory lane. Yes my husband, not me. :) I didn't even know that it was his favorite until a few years ago when my SIL casually mentioned about this dish their mother used to prepare during their childhood. Until then I had never even noticed red chori beans at stores since I was so much used to dals made with toor. My MIL was a great cook and naturally my husband keeps reminiscing about her cooking and his wonderful childhood days. I never got a chance to see my MIL cooking this but I got hold of the recipe through my SIL for my husband's sake. Though I had not eaten it before, my version is decent and the beaming face of my husband is the proof. :)
I had this in my drafts folder for the past few years. I have cooked this a couple of times but each time I have to consult the folder and so I think this makes it eligible for Gayathri's event.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. Most of them go in tadka and grinding.

Ingredients:
Alasanda / Red chori beans / cowpeas - 1/2 cup
Vankaya / Eggplant slices - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Tamarind juice to taste (2 -3 Tbsp)
Salt to taste
1 tsp of jaggery powder (optional)

To toast and grind:

Coriander seeds - 1 Tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 12
1" inch piece cinnamon - 2

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

For tadka:
Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - A few pinches

Few curry leaves

Method:
* Pressure cook red chori beans, eggplants and turmeric adding about a cup of water.
* Meanwhile, add all the ingredients except the coconut to a pan and toast them until the coriander and cumin start to change the color. Let cool and grind them along with the coconut. Use a few Tbsps of water if needed.
* Heat oil in a pan and add the tadka ingredients. When mustard starts to pop, add the cooked beans, ground paste, salt, tamarind and jaggery. Add water if needed and adjust the ingredients if needed. Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Turn off the stove.
Serve with hot steamed rice and papad.

This is my fourth day entry for blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

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Chayote Kootu

I grew up in a nuclear family with a sibling, five years younger than me. Flash forward 20+ years later, I ended up in a huge, I mean really huge family through my marriage to M. Just counting my husband's siblings' families, we are now somewhere around 70. It is almost like those large families in Indian movies / TV serials sans the drama and plotting, of course. :)) The new entrants to the family come from different backgrounds and regions ranging from Delhi, Gujarat to Karnataka. 
Though I never had an elder sister, I acquired nine "akkas" (elder sister in many South Indian languages) through my marriage, in between my husband's sisters and SILs. Each of them is a great cook and I get to learn some new recipes each time we get to meet. This kootu comes from one of the SILs with a Tamilnadu collection. I have eaten kootu many times before but have never tried cooking at home as M is not fond of coconut. A kootu is a delicious variation from the regular sambhar fare and tastes good with hot, steamed rice.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chana dal / Bengal gram (or substitute half the quantity with toor dal. Kootu can be prepared with moongdal as well.)
1 chayote squash, peeled and cut into cubes (Veggies like bottle gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber or cabbage can be substituted.)
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup fresh, grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp rice flour (optional)
Salt to taste
For tadka: 1 Tbsp ghee, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp skinned, split blackgram / uraddal, a pinch of asafoetida and curry leaves

Method:
* I soak chanadal an hour before preparation but that is optional. Cook chandal, chayote cubes and turmeric adding water as needed in a pressure cooker until done. No need to cook until very mushy.
* Grind the coconut and cumins to a fine paste adding little water if needed.
* Add this paste, rice flour, salt and chili powder to the cooked dal and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and turn off the stove.
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. When the dal starts to turn brownish, remove and add to the cooked dal.

This is my third day entry for blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

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