Chole Masala

Since I always bake and post about it, I thought I would switch things up and cook for a change. I made Dutch apple cake .  I wanted to cook something very Indian. My biggest obstacle still is Sambar and Rasam, which I will face head-on, but not immediately. This time, I decided to head the North Indian way instead.

My mom was a very good cook. To this day, I listen to stories about what a wonderful cook she was and how her chole was to die for; I remember her making us chole and pulav for our birthdays. That the highlight of our birthday (apart from the brilliant birthday parties my sister and me had) my dad could talk about her cooking for hours. I think passion for cooking is inherited. It is a legacy.  My grandmother was such a brilliant cook and I believe my mom inherited that from her. My sister and me, we try.

When I found an old diary of my grandmother’s with her handwritten recipes. I wanted that. I spent a whole day going through recipes, which she had collected over the years from TV shows, magazines, some given to her from family and some her own. I was thrilled! This is exactly what I love about cooking- handing down recipes, sharing and leaving something for the younger generation. Other day, when I was watching Nigella Lawson’s show, she was talking about how close she was to her grandmother and how she cannot wait to be one, I could relate to her. I want to that kind of grandmother.

I saw the recipe for Chole and I had to make it! Here is the recipe, from the recipe book of P.K. LAKSHMI.

CHOLE:



Paati's Recipe



Ingredients:

For masala:

·         2 onions (3, if they are small. Chopped roughly)

·         7 cloves of garlic (you can use 5, if you do not like the taste of garlic so much)

·         1inch piece of ginger

·         Some boiled channa.

For tomato juice:

·         3-4 tomatoes blanched and pureed. It is okay if it is pulpy.

Other ingredients:

·         200 grams channa (soaked overnight, pressure cooked up to 8-10 whistles. Save the water in which the channa is cooked, makes for good stock for the masala. I used red channa, you can use white channa, if you want. )

·         1 cinnamon stick

·         2 cloves

·         1 bay leaf

·         2 cardamom pods

·         1 tsp jeera

·         3 tablespoons oil

·         1 onion chopped, finely

·         2 green chillies, split.

·         Tamarind ( size of lemon or you can use tamarind paste instead- I used about a tablespoon)

·         1 tsp chilli powder

·         A pinch of turmeric

·         1 tsp  coriander powder

·         1 tsp garam masala

·         ½ tsp mango powder

·         A generous bunch of  coriander leaves

·          2 tablespoons butter

·         ½ cup cashew nuts (ground to paste with little water)

Method:

1.      Grind all the ingredients for the masala and keep aside. Do the same for tomato juice.

2.      In a kadai, add the oil, while the oil is heating up, add jeera and allow it splutter. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf. Sautee the onions and green chillies till they turn golden brown

3.      At this point, add the masala and cook until the masala is cooked and the raw smell is gone.  To this mixture, add the tomato juice and allow it to boil for couple of minutes.  Mix the tamarind juice to masala.

4.      Start adding all the spices except for garam masala.  Add salt to taste.  

5.      Add the water in which the channa was cooked, at this stage. Turn the heat down and allow it cook for 10 minutes.

6.      Add the garam masala and mix it thoroughly. Chop some pudina and coriander leaves; it adds flavour to the chole.

7.      Before switching off the stove, add the cashew nut and mix thoroughly. Cut pieces of butter, drop it into the sabzee, and allow it to melt on top.

8.      Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti or steamed rice.

 Things to remember:

·        Try not to overcook the channa, as it will turn mushy.

·        If you add salt to the channa while pressure cooking it, do not salt the masala too much

·        Cashew nut paste was just to add richness to the dish it is an optional.

·        Take the bay leaf and cinnamon stick before serving

·        Tomato puree need not be pulp-free.

P.S- Sorry, I could not make an entry with step-by- step pictures. One, the kitchen looked too dirty for the world to see it. Two, too  many processes to document. I knew I would be bored by the 5th step.

P.P.S- I am not much of a cook, but I must admit, this tasted phenominal! *patting my back*