Chickpea Masala : Chole

Having set a family tradition to include chickpea(garbanzo) on Fridays, I make sure to we have them either in soup, curry or salad. These beans are high in protein, calcium and fiber.

Chana masala or chole masala was a perfect dish for dinner to unwind with after a long week.
Its a common dish but the key to a tasty one is to balance the spiciness with the tangy tomatoes.

I love to make my dish from scratch for freshness .Prefer dry garbanzo over the canned ones, so my dish is pre planned since the beans need an overnight soak in winter.

1 cup dry chickpeas soaked overnight.
1 inch ginger,1 jalapeno and 5  garlic cloves minced
1.5 tomatoes chopped

1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander seeds
4 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp black cumin                                                

1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp coconut oil
Salt to taste

for garnish: 1 finely chopped onion, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

In a pan, add the oil and splutter the cumin.  Now add all the spices and saute for a min until the cloves puff up. Saute the ginger,garlic and jalapeno with the spices.
Add the tomatoes,salt as per your taste and let them cook. Adding salt cooks tomatoes faster too.

Boil the chickpeas with water little more than enough to cover the beans and add few drops coconut oil to the water.Boil on stovetop or pressure cook.Oil helps in cooking any beans evenly.

Puree the cooked tomatoes with the spices in a blender. If the tomatoes are too tangy, add a tbsp or 2 of the boiled chickpeas when making the puree to lower the tanginess.

Empty the puree into a saucepan .Sprinkle the garam masala,nutmeg,cinnamon,turmeric  and paprika and give a stir. Add the boiled chickpeas and mix thoroughly. Simmer uncovered on a medium flame , you could also add leftover broth from cooking the beans.

Serve hot with rice or flatbread,garnished with onions and cilantro.