Quick Channa Masala from a Can (Canned Garbanzo Beans Curry)

Another weekend is over and I have no idea where the time went.  Sometimes I feel that weekends are busier than weekdays.  At least on weekdays, I have a routine. 

I had so many tasks that I wanted to finish - and, there was a wonderful party at a friends’ place that I did not want to miss.  So I made my list and tackled the tasks, slowly making a dent in my to-do list.  Unfortunately, a few remained "un-done".  Grocery shopping was one of them.

Monday afternoon, I came home from work and opened the fridge to see what to make for dinner.  Of course, there was nothing I could use.  I had some tomatoes, a carrot, some cilantro, a  ¼ head of cabbage, and a few leftovers – not enough to serve the three of us.  If I was hoping to have my fridge miraculously stocked up with fresh veggies – that had not happen.

I went over to the pantry and started scanning the shelves, waiting for inspiration to strike, when I spotted these cans of garbanzo beans.  I had some uncooked flour tortillas from Costco and decided that my life just got easier – tasty dinner in a jiffy.

I prefer the taste of home cooked channa – where you soak the dried beans and then cook them yourself.  But hey, canned garbanzo is a great substitute if you are in a rush.

Here is what you need:

(to feed a family of four)

• 2 cans garbanzo beans (without salt – if available)
• 3 tsp. oil
• 1 tsp. jeera (cumin seeds)
• ¼ tsp. hing (asafetida)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 – 3 cloves garlic
• 1” piece ginger, slivered
• 2 – 3 green chilies, slit length-wise
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. turmeric
• 1 ½ tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. jeera powder
• 1 tsp. amchur powder
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp. kasoori methi
• cilantro for garnish

Here is how I made it:

1. Wash the canned garbanzo beans in several changes of water, drain, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan.  Add the cumin seeds.
3. When they change color, add the hing and fry for a few seconds.
4. Add chopped onions, garlic, and ginger.  Sauté for a few minutes.
5. When the onions become translucent, add the tomatoes and green chilies.  Fry till this whole thing gets pulpy.  Add salt and mix well.
6. Take a little bit of water in a small bowl.  Add the turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and amchur.  Pour this mixture into the pan.  Stir.
7. Cover and cook this for a few minutes.
8. Add the diced potatoes, the garbanzo beans and some water.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, till the potatoes are done
9. Crush the kasoori methi in the palm of your hands and sprinkle it over the gravy.
10. Turn off the heat.  Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with rotis, fresh slided onions, and green chilies.

Cholé (Channa Masala)

I have, in my recipe collection, about 5 – 6 different ways to make cholé.  I have the version my mom used to make – with ground up onions, garlic, ginger, and tomato puree.  I have a Bengali version, where you boil the cholé with tea bags to give it a darker color.  I have a Bihari version where you add ginger, garlic, onions, potatoes and all the masalas to the soaked cholé and pressure-cook the whole thing together, and a few other hybrids from my talented friends.

Cholé

My favorite though, is the one Shashi makes.  She boils the channa with dried amla (gooseberries) and adds this special masala powder she brings back from Delhi. The last few time that she has gone to India, she has brought back a packet for me too.  This masala is from a small store in her neighborhood, and comes in a tiny plastic bag with no other packaging – no name – no ingredients list, just a plastic bag with the masala.

Cholé Masala

I am running out of this masala powder and wanted to see if it was possible to replicate the taste of her cholé with a home-made version.  A few days ago, I made my own masala powder, and made cholé with it.  My husband couldn’t make out the difference!  After dinner, I asked him if he liked the cholé, and he said – “This is Shashi’s cholé – right?  Why won’t I like it?” - which makes me think I have come close to the original taste.

Here is what you need:

• 2 cups dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight or for 6 hours (I soak it in the morning before going to work, and make it when I get back home)
• 4 – 6 pieces dried amla (dried gooseberry)
• 2 pieces badi elaichi (black cardamom)
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp. hing (asafetida)
• 2 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 small pieces cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• ½ star anise (just 3 petals)
• 4 -5 red chilies
• 2tsp. oil
• 1 tsp. jeera
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tsp. slivered ginger
• 2 tsp. amchur powder (dried mango)
• few sprigs of coriander, chopped
• sliced onions and green chilies for serving

Here is how I made it:

1. Wash and drain the beans.  Add enough water, salt, dried amla, badi elaichi, and hing and pressure-cook on low for about 10 minutes, after the first whistle.  Drain and reserve the liquid.
2. While the channa is cooking, dry roast coriander seeds, jeera, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and red chilies.
3. Turn off the heat when the coriander seeds change color slightly, cook, and powder to a coarse powder.  Set aside.
4. Heat oil and add jeera.
5. When the jeera changes color, add onions.  Sauté for a couple of minutes.
6. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a couple of more minutes.
7. Add 2 – 3 tsp. of the ground masala powder and the amchur powder.  Mix well.
8. Remove the badi elaichi from the cooked cholé.  Discard.   Add the cooked cholé with a little bit of the reserved liquid to the onion masala.
9. Let this simmer for some time.  Check for salt and spiciness.  If necessary, add some more ground powder and salt.
10. After about 15 minutes, mash some of the cholé with a potato masher and then turn off the stove.  Add some more liquid if necessary.
11. Just before serving, garnish with slivered onions, chopped green chilies, and cilantro.

Serve with bhaturas, puris, or rotis.

Sundal with garbanzo beans

Navrathri and sundal are almost synonymous.  During Navrathri, a lot of South Indians set up Golu or Kolu – a display of dolls, featuring various gods and goddesses.  It is typically displayed on steps.  There has to be an odd number of steps, and you need to have the traditional mara paachi bommais (a pair of special wooden dolls) in your display.

Garbanzo Sundal

Like I mentioned in a previous post, my mom did not keep Golu, but we would be invited to various houses in our neighborhood.  I would wear pattu pavadai (silk skirt) and go from house to house, collecting vethalai-paaku (beetel leaves and areca nuts) and some other girlie goodies (like small combs, really tiny mirrors, or maybe bangles, or bindis).

My Golu this year

In some houses, the mamis (aunties) will ask us to sing.  I think most of them become aware of my singing abilities and didn’t force me to sing the next time I went :)

Along with the goodies, everyone also will give us a packet of sundal.  Each day people make a different type of sundal.  By the time I came back home after making the rounds, I would have a good variety to choose from. Now that I think of it – it is like how my kids go from house to house collecting candy on Halloween!

I also make sundal now during navrathri.  If I have people coming to visit my golu, I make a lot, but if it is just for prasadam for that day, I soak very little beans in a small katori (cup) and make that by boiling it with salt and then adding a simple seasoning of mustard seed, hing, red chilies, and curry leaves.

I made this sundal for a party I had last weekend.   I used garbanzo beans, but you can substitute yellow peas, dried green peas, kala channa, lima beans, or mochai (val), and follow the same recipe.

I don't add coconut to the sundal.  This way, I can use any left over channa in some other recipe.

Here is what you need:

• 1 cup garbanzo beans, soaked overnight – or at least for 6 hours
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. turmeric
• 2 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp. channa dal
• 3 red chilies
• 2 tsp. oil
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 red chilies
• few curry leaves
• ¼ tsp. hing (asafetida)

Here is how I made it:

1. Drain the water from the soaked beans.  Add fresh water, salt and turmeric.  Cook in a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes on low after the first whistle.
2. Dry roast the coriander seeds, channa dal, and 3 red chilies till the channa dal changes color slightly. Grind this into a coarse powder. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan.
4. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and 2 red chilies.
5. When the mustard seeds sputter, add curry leaves and hing.
6. Drain all the water from the cooked garbanzo beans and add that to the pan. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the powdered spices.  Mix well.

Serve as a snack or as part of a meal.