Pindi Choley/Channa

Pindi Choley/ Channa is a traditional chickpea recipe from North India.

Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves: 2-4

Step 1

For pressure cooking or cooking the chickpeas for a few hours in a saucepan, add all of these ingredients together:

3 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight or tinned chickpeas) 2 tea bags 1 inch cinnamon 1 bay leaf 3 green cardamom seed pods 4 garlic cloves ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 6–7 cups water

Step 2

For chana masala spice powder, grind all these items together:

•

1 tsp roasted cumin • 1 tsp coriander seeds • ¼ tsp fennel seeds • 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves (dried) • 3 garlic cloves

• 2 black cardamom pods

• 3 dried red chillies 1 tbsp turmeric powder ½ tsp mango powder ½ tsp pomegranate powder

Step 3

For the sauce, add the oil and onion in the frying pan and cook until light brown. Add ginger and garlic, and cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, chillies, coriander, the dried spice mix, and chickpeas. Cook for 30 minutes or so, until all the liquid dries and the chickpeas are all very well cooked with the sauce.

3 tsp oil 1 bay leaf 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste 1 green chilli, finely chopped fine or slit in two halves • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped • half a bunch fresh coriander • salt to taste

Step 4

For tempering, pour the cooked chickpeas in a shallow serving dish. Heat the oil or ghee and pour it over the cooked peas just before serving. Garnish it with chilli, ginger, red chilli, coriander, and some lemon wedges. Serve with special deep-fried bread—poori, or naan bread.

1 tbsp ghee or oil 1 green chilli, slit in two halves for garnishing

•

1 inch ginger, julienned • ½ tsp red chilli powder • coriander, chopped, for garnish • half a lemon sliced into halves