Punjabi Chole (chickpeas) Recipe

Courtesy Anjali Aggarwal

Serves Four

Ingredients

• Chick Peas – 1 ½ cups – soaked overnight
• Onion – 1 large – chopped finely
• Ginger – 1 inch piece – 3/4^th brunoise, 1/4^th julienne
• Garlic -10 cloves – brunoise
• Tomato – 2 medium – chopped finely
• Salt
• Powdered spices – 1 tea spoon chilli powder, 1 table sp cumin powder, 1 table spoon coriander powder, 1 tea spoon garam masala
• Whole spices – 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves, 2 big black cardamoms, 1 inch piece cinnamon tied in a muslin cloth AND 5 small green cardamoms
• 1 table spoon Amchur powder
• 2 table spoon oil
• Half cup of finely chopped coriander for garnishing

How To

1. Put the soaked Chick Peas, chopped onion, tomatoes, salt, brunoise ginger and garlic and the whole spices (the ones tied in muslin and the green cardamoms) in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water (the peas should be just about immersed in the water) in a pressure cooker and cook at medium flame for three whistles.
2. Let the cooker cool and then open and remove the muslin with the whole spices.
3. In a shallow pan add the oil and heat on medium flame.
4. Add the julienne ginger and saute for one minute, then add the ingredients under ‘Powdered spices’ and saute on low flame for 1 minute. Now add this to the chick peas and mix well.
5. Put the chick peas on medium flame and cook for a few more minutes to allow the spices and chick peas to mix well.
6. In another pan – dry roast the Amchur till it is coffee colored। Now add this to the chick peas and cook for a few more minutes.

Serving Suggestion :

1. Garnish with coriander and serve with puris, bhatura or kulchas.

Karela Chana (Bitter Gourd stuffed with Black Bengal Gram)

Courtesy Anjana Kumar (aka Mummy, Mumma, Ma)

Ingredients

• 1 cup black chick peas soaked over night
• 2 dried red chili (khadi mirchi)
  
• 2 big size Karela (Bitter Gourd)
• 1 big onion - chopped finely
  
• 10 cloves Garlic and 1/2 inch ginger ground to a fine paste
  
• 4 tablespoons oil
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp Red Chili
  
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
  
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
  

How to :

1. In a non-stick deep pot - add the oil and let the cumin and red chili sputter.
   
2. Add the chopped onions and saute till golden brown.
   
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another 6 minutes till the paste starts to leave the surface of the cooker.
   
4. Now add the salt and all the powdered spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili.
   
5. Cook for several minutes till everything mixes well.
   
6. Now add the black chick peas, minimum water and close to pressure cook. On medium flame cook till u hear two whistles.
   
7. Take the karela and slit it lengthwise and remove all seeds and contents from inside the karela. Now boil it in salty water for 10 minutes.
   
8. After cooling the karela, stuff it with the seeds and the cooked chick peas.
   
9. Now heat oil in a shallow frying pan and lay down the karelas lengthwise to shallow fry the karela. Let the Karelas get crispy brown on the outside.
   
10. Serve with Rotis or Parathas.