Daily Dinner (9): A Festive Thali: and Chana Masala my way.

Back in North India, you'll often hear the saying that the month of saawan, along with cooling Monsoons, also ushers in the festive season. Almost every week from now on till summer, we see an array of festivities, and an alternating pattern of Fasting and Feasting. As a child, I waited anxiously for the first rains - looking forward just as much to an uninhibited soaking in those much-awaited showers as to the other fun things - Mehendi on my hands, fragrant mogra in the hair, a home-made swing in the doorway leading out on to our terrace and tons of goodies from my mom's kitchen. Everything came alive  during the rains; and I loved the smell of summer-baked earth and new grass. Then came those vendors with baskets on their bicycles selling all sorts of seasonal delicacies- phalsa, jamun, fire-roasted bhutta with tons of lemon and masala and sand-popped popcorn.

Poori, Chana Masala and Aloo-Tamatar

There isn't a whole lot from this list that I can get here. My festivities are mostly restricted to putting henna on my older one's palms, and painting my daughters' nails - which is what we did recently for Teej celebrations. A staple for any festivity in my home is poori- the fried Indian bread. Both my girls are extremely partial to it. The most popular side to go with this is the Chana Masala. Anya is so fond of this combo that she will eat it everyday of her life, if she can! Which is why I thought that this thali deserved a place in my Daily Dinner Series.  In the picture on your left you also see  a simple Aloo-tamatar (potatoes in a tomato sauce) that I have just because I'd harvested my first heirloom tomatoes of the season that day! Even though delicious, only I ate this potato dish- the rest of the family rooted for Chana-and Poori!

A long time ago, a colleague at work had asked me the recipe for Chana Masala - he'd fallen in love with the dish at a restaurant, and now wanted to make it at home, from scratch. When it comes to everyday recipes, I'm a very intuitive cook. There are no exact measures or steps to follow. I told him how I cook my dish (and I think I did a pretty good job too); but he said the next day that it wasn't quite what he'd expected. This time, I was thinking of him as I made this Chana Masala and noted down exactly what I use in this dish. Hopefully this will do the trick for him!

Chana Masala

(Spicy chickpeas)

Dry Chana (Chickpeas) 2 fists-full soaked overnight (or 2 16oz cans)

Onion 1 medium sized chopped

Tomato 1 large chopped

Tomato puree 1Tbsp

Green chillies 4 chopped

Ginger paste 1tsp (heaped)

Salt 1 and 1/2 tsp (taste and adjust)

Red chilli powder 3/4 tsp

Chana Masala Powder 3/4tbsp (store bought/may be optional or substituted*)

Amla powder 1/2tsp (see recipe for substitute)

Jeera/ Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Ajwain/ caraway seeds 1/2tsp (optional)

Saunf/ Fennel seeds 1/2 tsp (optional)

Cooking oil 2Tbsp

Cilantro chopped (to garnish)

1. If using pre-soaked chickpeas, pressure cook them with enough water and 1 Tbsp salt for 3 whistles, then turn down the heat and let simmer for another 15 min.  Turn off the stove. Let the pressure release on its own. If using canned garbanzos, move on to the next step.To make this from scratch, you will definitely need a pressure cooker or a slow cooker. I use a pressure cooker, but I've heard from friends that a crock pot works well too.
2. After the chickpeas are cooked well (can be crushed between your fingers), add the amla powder and simmer on medium heat while you get the gravy going.  To substitute, add 1-2 teabags during the simmer process to get that dark black color. A good substitute for the tanginess of Amla will be 1/4 tsp tamarind paste; or a squeeze of lemon- just before serving.
3. Start the gravy: Heat 2Tbsp cooking oil in a deep soup pot. Add cumin, fennel and carom seeds; watch for them to turn color slightly. Now add the ginger paste and saute for 1-2 min.
4. Add the onions now, and saute till they turn translucent.
5. Now add in chopped tomato and chillies, tomato paste, 1/2tsp salt, red chilli powder and chana masala. Sprinkle about 1Tbsp water,  cover the pot and turn down the heat. Cook till the tomatoes are cooked through and oil starts leaving sides. To substitute chana masala, I use equal amounts of coriander (dhania) powder, garam masala and roasted fennel powder, with a dash of amchoor.
6. Transfer the simmering chickpeas into this gravy mix. If using tamarind paste, now is the time to mix that in. 
7. Let everything simmer some more- another 15-20 min. With the back of your ladle (or a potato masher), mash up some of your chickpeas. This thickens the gravy and also lets all the flavors blend in.
8. Garnish with some cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon and serve hot.

My two cents: This quantity is enough to feed our family of 2 adults and 2 children, with some leftovers. A general rule of thumb I follow for dried beans is to use about 3/4 fist-full for every adult. Larger beans like kidney beans and chickpeas almost double up in size after soaking, so you get a pretty good amount from a little measure. They also take a lot of time to cook, so if you don't own a pressure cooker or a crock pot, I'd definitely advice you to use the canned beans.

Everyone has a secret ingredient to pep up their food; for my chana masala recipe- it is the amla powder. It is rich in Vitamin C, gives the exact dark color that is so North Indian, and imparts a very unique flavor to the dish. It is easily available at any Indian grocery store in the spice aisle. A word of caution: add it after the chickpeas are cooked thoroughly- or you'll never get the beans to soften up!

Chana Masala is the quintessential everything side. You can serve it with pooris (of course!!), roti, naan, bhatura, rice, paav or even plain white bread.

Linked to:

1. MLLA 38 hosted by Preeti and initiated by Susan
2. House Favorites-vegan
3. CWS -Chickpeas started by Priya and hosted by saffronstreaks