PREP TIME: 15 Mins

COOKING TIME: 25 Mins

Ingredients – to pressure cook

Chick peas – 1 tin

Tea bag – 1

Bay leaf – 1

Ingredients – to grind

Onion – 1/2 coarsely chopped

Tomato – 1/2 coarsely chopped

Coriander seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Channa – 2 teaspoons (cooked & cooled)

Ingredients – for gravy

Cumin seeds – ½ tea spoon

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 teaspoon

Onion – 1/2 finely chopped

Tomato – 1/2 finely chopped

Onion-Tomato-Coriander-channa paste

Turmeric powder – ¼ tea spoon

Chilli powder – 2 tea spoon

Garam Masala powder – 1 teaspoon

Pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Cilantro – 10 sprigs finely chopped

Oil – 2 teaspoons

Salt – to taste

Lemon – 1 wedge

 

Ingredients – to temper

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Green Chillies – 2

Oil – 1/4 teaspoon

Procedure

STEP 1: Pressure cook the chick peas with a tea bag and a bay leaf. Leave it for 4 whistles. If you are using dry channa, soak it for 6 – 8 hours and then pressure cook.

STEP 2: In a pan, heat oil, add ginger and garlic paste and cook for a minute and then add chopped onion and tomatoes.

STEP 3: Once the onion and tomato turn mushy add the onion-tomato-coriander-channa paste.

STEP 4: Cook for 5 minutes till the oil separates from the gravy.

STEP 5: Now add all the dry masala powders one after the other, salt and mix well. Add the water that you have left from cooking the chick peas. As this water has the tea extract it gives a very nice flavour to the masala.

STEP 6: Cook for 5 minutes and then add the cooked channa. Add sugar, cover and cook for 7 – 10 minutes until the gravy thickens.

STEP 7: Heat oil in small pan add sliced green chilli, cloves and cinnamon powder and pour over the channa gravy. Turn off the heat and squeeze in some lemon juice. Mix well.

STEP 9: Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle chopped coriander and serve.

TIP: This Channa masala tastes good with Batura. But it can also be served with roti, naan, white rice and poori.