Chana Pindi (indian Chickpeas Masala)

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 300 g chickpeas
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 2 green cardamoms
• 2 tea bags
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon roasted coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon ajwain
• 2 tablespoons gram flour
• 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
• 2 large chopped onions
• 3 -4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon crushed cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili powder (1/4 of a teaspoon if you want it mild and 1/2 a spoon if you want it hot)
• 50 g chana masala
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1/2 teaspoon chat masala
• salt
• coriander leaves, for garnishing
• 1/3 teaspoon garam masala

Recipe

• 1 soak chickpeas overnight or for at least 6 hours.
• 2 boil them with enough water and teabags till they are soft.
• 3 throw away the teabags (the tea bags are to give the chick peas a dark colour) traditionally chana pindi was cooked in an iron kadahi (skillet) that gave the chickpeas a dark colour.
• 4 heat oil in an iron skillet.
• 5 if you do not have one use a non stick pan.
• 6 add the cardomoms.
• 7 after a minute add onions and saute.
• 8 after about two minutes, add the roasted coriander seeds and the ajwain seeds,and continue to saute the onions.
• 9 when the onions turn golden, add the gram flour (besan).
• 10 this is to give body to the curry.
• 11 now add ginger garlic paste and keep frying.
• 12 take care that the ginger garlic paste does not stick to the base.
• 13 saute for about 3 to 4 minutes so that the raw smell of the ginger garlic is gone.
• 14 now add tomatoes and fry add all the powders and salt and continue to fry till the tomatoes soften and mix properly.
• 15 add the boiled chickpeas and fry.
• 16 mash 3-4 tablespoons of chickpeas and mix it in.
• 17 simmerfor 15- 20 minutes.
• 18 garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chapati, naan, kulcha etc.
• 19 enjoy.