This is one of the recipes that I learnt from my SIL. She had made this when we had visited her place a few months back. I loved the rich and creamy taste. So today's Cooking from a Cookbook post is one from my SIL's repertoire.
The day she made it, the house smelt so delicious and I could not help but scooping out ladle fulls of this channa and eating it as such! She sometimes adds cubes of paneer but I have not used it here
I used:
Channa - 250 grams
Corn flour- 1 tablespoon
Butter- 1 teaspoon
Fresh cream- 2 tablespoons
For the masala paste
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Onion-2 chopped
Tomato-1 chopped
Green chilies- 2
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic-3 pods
Curry leaves- a few
Coriander leaves- a small handful
Melon seeds-1 tablespoon
Oil- 1 tablespoon
Masala powders
Amchur powder- 1 teaspoon
Kashmiri red chili powder- 1 teaspoon
Chana masala powder- 2 teaspoons
Salt
Curry leaves- a few
Coriander leaves- a small handful
Soak the channa over night and pressure cook with enough water till done but not mushy.Do not drain the water.
Saute all the ingredients mentioned under 'masala paste' except the cucumber seeds till the onion is light brown and the tomato is soft. [You can add the ingredients in one go and saute]. Let it cool and grind it along with the melon seeds to a smooth paste adding very little water. Keep this paste aside.
Take a handful of cooked channa and puree it along with the corn flour and add this paste to the cooked channa and mix. Add Kashmiri red chili powder and amchur powder and mix.
Heat butter in a large pan and add the ground masala paste and cook till the water evaporates and looks really thick. Add the cooked chana mixture to the pan and bring to boil.Add salt and chana masala powder. Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes or till it thickens.Add fresh cream and mix. Put in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Give a quick mix and take off the heat.
Note:
- You can cut down the butter and cream. It will tasty but not all that rich and creamy.
- Cashew can be used instead of melon seeds.
- You can use store bought channa masala too. SIL uses MTR brand.
Bon Appetit...
Labels: CCChallenge, Rotisides, Step-by-step Pictorial Recipes, Whoz on my side
