A Spicy Guest Post for Chickpea Curry (Chhole)

Ingredients

• ½ lb. dry chickpeas (washed and soaked overnight in normal water). You could soak in hot water for up to 4 hours for the same effect.
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tsp. garlic paste
• 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 heaped tsp. Garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin powder
• 1 tsp. Cayenne (chilly powder) or to taste
• 2 tbsp. oil
• Lemon slices for garnish
• 2 tsp. cilantro leaves finely chopped for garnish
• Salt to taste
• Recipe for garam masala powder
• 2 heaped tbsp. Coriander seeds
• 4-5 Cloves
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper corns
• 2 Black Cardamom
• 1 small piece mace
• 2 tsp. Cumin seeds
• 1 dry bay leaf

Instructions

1. Dry roast all the spices on a griddle making sure that they do not burn. They must change color and the aroma they give out while roasting is really heady. Remove them and powder them in a spice grinder. Use around 2 heaped tsp. of this masala for this recipe. You can store the rest and use it later.
2. Method:
3. Cook the soaked and drained chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 2-3 cups of water till soft but not mushy. If you do not use a pressure cooker, you could use a large covered pan, but it will take much longer, more than an hour for it to be cooked.
4. In a non-stick skillet, heat two tbsp. oil and add cumin seeds. Once they sputter, add ginger and garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Now add the onions and fry till they become golden. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook further. You could add a little water if it is becoming too dry. Cook for 5 more minutes. It should be a nice aromatic paste by now. Now add the cooked chickpeas with the water they were cooked in. Add all the spices in the quantities mentioned above i.e. garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilly powder and salt. Let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes till the gravy becomes thick. You could add more water if you like gravy of a thinner consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and lemon slices. Serve hot with rice or puris.

Notes

http://motherrimmy.com/chickpea-curry-chhole-recipe

Mother Rimmy’s Cooking Light Done Right by Kristin A. Rimkus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.