Channa Masala

Channa Masala

Channa masala is a very popular gravy back home. It is great with poori, roti, naan, rice and even with chat items. I think the secret to wonderful channa masala is the actual masala powder used. In India, I used to like Everest brand of masala powder but here I use MDH or Mangal and am quite happy with them. Channa aka chickpea is rich in low fat protein. It is important to soak it in adequate water for atleast eight hours. The soaking process is not only to enable cooking but also to make the protein digestible by human body. Without soaking, some contents of such legumes, also called anti-nutrients, interfere with the absorption of the goodness in these. It is not recommended to add salt while cooking as it is said to make the skin hard. In order to ease digestion and enhance flavour, I cook the channa with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. You could use other whole spices too. If you are running out of time or forgotten to soak, you can always keep a tin of chickpea handy and use it. I normally drain and rinse tinned legumes as they have far too much salt. Here is the recipe...

½ cup channa, soaked for 8-12 hours

1 onion, finely chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon channa masala

½ teaspoon chilly powder

2 pinches kasoori methi

Turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (optional)

Salt to taste

Cooking oil

1 cinnamon

2 cloves

Small piece ginger

Pressure cook the channa dal with the cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Make sure it is cooked well

Heat some oil and fry the onions until brown

Add the tomatoes and cook until mushy and oil begins to separate

Add coriander powder, cumin powder, channa masala, chilly powder and kasoori methi. Also add required salt and cook for 3-5 minutes

Add the cooked channa dal and required water and simmer until it thickens. Mash some channa to thicken the gravy

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice