Chole or Garbanzo Beans Curry
Garbanzo beans are yummy when cooked in any way, be it, Mediterranean Falafal or Morrocan style or North Indian Chole (Garbanzo beans curry or Channa masala as it is called in some places) or South Indian Kadalai curry or even raw, as sprouts. While I love Chole, I don't seem to be able to make it as delicious as I like it. ;) I've been reading Indira's blog for a while now and when she posted her 'Aloo Chole' (Garbanzo beans curry with Potatoes), I obviously wanted to try it. I ran out of potatoes, So, I made 'Chole' instead of 'Aloo Chole'.
While her recipe needs 3 cups of dried Garbanzo beans, I made the curry with 1 cup of dried garbanzo beans. No more tweaks and the recipe turned out delicious as I had envisioned. Thanks Indira! Usually I don't use premade masala powders from stores because of the preservatives and additives. I make them myself so that I'll have the freshest stuff. But I haven't' learnt to make Channa masala powder so far. I happen to use the same brand of Channa masala as Indira uses. It is Badshah brand, one that you can find in all the Indian stores.
Ingredients:
1 cup of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water and boiled till tender
(canned stuff is okay too)
A fistful of cooked chickpeas made into smooth paste
1 large onion - finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes - finely chopped
1 tablespoon of chana masala powder
1 tbsp of roasted garlic-ginger-cilantro paste
1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp and salt to taste
oil - 2 tbsp
finely chopped cilantro for garnish
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute well. Add the ginger-garlic-cilantro paste and tomatoes and saute well. Add the remaining ingredients (chickpea paste, channa masala powder, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder). Stir in the chickpeas and add two cups of water. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the curry thickens. Garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro and serve hot with roti (Indian flatbread) or steamed rice.