Channa Masala for Bhature | Chole side dish for Bathure

Chole Masala for Bhature

I love channa/ chole/ chickpeas/ garbanzo beans is one of my favourite ingredients. I love to eat them and cook with them. This week I wanted to make a different turn to the usual recipes and make chole bhature for dinner for my dear husband. He loves Chole Bhature and once in a while he would order this in our favourite restaurant. I wanted to recreate the recipe at home. The result was a perfect bature and chole masala, he loved his meal so much and said its tasting better than what is served in hotels. I was more than pleased and of course wanted to post this hit recipe with all of you. Sadly the bhature were done for dinner and I could not click pictures of it. Will post the recipe for bhature soon. For now lets enjoy chole masala ;-)

Channa Masala Recipe

CHANNA MASALA FOR BHATURE | CHOLE SIDE DISH FOR BHATURE

Recipe - Own
Prep time - 10 mins
Cook time - 20-25 mins
Serves - 4 generously
Serving suggestion - along with poori, bhature or rice

Ingredients

To cook chickpeas

Channa/ chickpeas/ chole - 1 cup dry
Water - 2 cups

For the curry

Oil - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1 no
Cardamom - 2 no
Cloves - 2 no
Cardamom - 2 no
Jeera/ cumin - 1 tsp
Onion - 2 large, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Pav bajji masala/ chole masala - 2 heaped tsp
Tomato - 2 large, puréed
Water - 1/2 cup
Chickpeas stock - 1/2 cup
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method

1. Soak chickpeas overnight or for minimum 12 hours. Discard the water and pressure cook with more water as mentioned for 10 whistles or for 15 minutes. I love the beans to be soft so I pressure cook them for longer.
2. You can add one tea bag in the cooker before pressure cooking for the beans to darken in colour. This is purely optional I did not do this.
3. In a wide pan heat oil. Add in the whole spices one by one and let it sizzle and release aroma - bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin. 
4. Add the chopped onions and sauté occasionally and let it brown for 6-7 minutes. This is important, the browning of onions develops taste in this curry. Do not skip or be in a hurry while doing this step.
5. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 3 minutes so that all the raw smell goes away.
6. Now add in all the spices - red chilli, pav bajji masala/ chole masala, salt and mix well. Add the puréed tomato and mix well. Let the gravy cook and thicken for 2 minutes.
7. You will notice spots of oil on top of the gravy. Now add in 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup chickpeas stock along with the cooked chickpeas. Mix well and let the curry cook covered for 5 minutes.
8. Once done add the pepper powder give a good mix and switch off. Taste to check spice level.
9.Serve warm with your favourite main.

Chole Masala side dish for bathure

COOKS WISDOM

TIP 1

1. I love chickepeas to be soft so i have cooked it for 15 mins / 10 whistles. I also soaked the dried chickpeas for 12 hours. You can alternately used canned chickpeas but make sure that you taste them to check if there is salt in the tinned can.

TIP 2

2. I used pav bajji masala you can also use chole masala for this curry, both work great.

TIP 3

3. To add more darker colour to chickpeas add a tea bag in the pressure cooker and cook accordingly.

TIP 4

4. I have used whole spices in this recipe, you can skip them and use garam masala powder instead.


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