Punjabi Channa Masala

Now when it comes to North Indian vegetarian delights, Punjabi style Channa Masala is something one must try. Boiled chickpeas further cooked in tangy spicy gravy topped with chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes, fresh coriander and butter. Goes perfectly well along with steamed rice, naan, puri or kulcha.

Ingredients

500 gm chickpeas

4 medium onions, chopped (grind half of them)

4 medium tomatoes, chopped (make paste of half tomatoes)

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

4-5 chopped green chillies

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 tsp butter

4-5 tbsp fresh cream

1/2 cup curd

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1 bay leaf

2 green cardamoms

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2-3 cloves

1" cinnamon stick

salt, to taste

1. Boil the chickpeas in salted water, along with a teabag to give it dark colour.

2. in a thick bottomed pan, heat some oil and add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bayleaf, when all this stuff start crackling and color starts to change, add chopped garlic and ginger.

3. add onion paste, followed by tomato paste when onion paste turns light brown. when oil starts separating, add cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. sprinkle some water if the mixture sticks at the bottom.

4. Add boiled chickpeas along with its juice and stir thoroughly. Add whisked curd and stir well.

5. cook on medium flame for 25-30 minutes and keep stirring in between.

6. Add cream, followed by sugar and lemon juice after short while.

7. Add chopped green chillies, rest of the onions and tomatoes. (spare little bit for garnish)

8. Its ready when the gravy is somewhat thick. Add some chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes, ginger, coriander leaves and butter on top and serve hot.

No Punjabi platter is complete without butter, raw onions and green chillies. During old times people used to bang a full onion with their fist and used to eat it along with green chillies and homemade white butter in the meal. These days our health does not allow all that in huge quantity but we can have it as garnish to enjoy some of the authenticity. Also if you want some kick, try using green chillies instead of red chilli powder.