Aloo cholae

Just another cholae recipe? nah...this one is with a twist...Yup! this one is with a cashew twist and simply melts into your mouth with a lingering richness of cashew. I have never used the cashew paste in my cooking so far. Now that I have used it, I realise what has been missing in my cooking - the richness and the texture it lends to the recipe. It just elevates the texture and tunes in the richness of the gravy.

Ingredients-

Chickpeas/garbanzo - 11/2 cup (Soaked in water overnight)
1 large boiled potato- (peeled & cubed)
2 medium onions- chopped finely
3 tomatoes- chopped
4 garlic cloves
ginger- grated (1/2 tsp)
Cashews- 1 tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi leaves- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Salt according to taste
Oil for cooking

Method- 

Drain the chickpeas (that has been soaked in water overnight), add six to eight cups of fresh water and pressure cook it for half an hour till it is soft. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. As the seeds begin to sputter, add onions and fry till golden brown. In a separate small frying pan, heat oil and saute cashew, garlic, ginger and tomatoes for few minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Grind the sauteed tomatoes, garlic, ginger and cashews to a fine paste. Add this paste to the onions. Cook for few minutes. Add coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Cook the mixture on low flame till oil floats on top. Add the cubed potatoes and chickpeas. Cook for 10 minutes. Add Kasoori methi leaves to give it a nice flavor.

Punjabi cholay

Cholay is a very popular chickpea dish in northern India. Cooked in a rich brown gravy with exotic spices this dish tastes heavenly with roti, rice or bhature. Chickpeas can be cooked in a simple normal gravy with spices but then if you ever had the chance to taste punjabi cholay you will never want to eat anything else! So, take a plunge and get cooking with something exotic and flavorful.

Ingredients

Chickpeas/garbanzo beans -1 cup

For the gravy

2 onions chopped
1 tomato chopped
Ginger - peeled and grated (about 1tsp)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Spices

Coriander seeds 2tsp
Seeds of wild pomegranate/anardhana (omit if not available)- 1/2tsp
1 piece cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 black cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 dry red chilli piece

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. It will double in size the next day. Rinse it thoroughly and pressure cook it with a tea bag. Yeah, yeah, you read it right- tea bag! Why tea bag? Punjabi cholay is known for it's rich brown color and when you cook it normally it turns out yellow in color. To give it a good brown color you always pressure cook it with a tea bag. The chickpeas should be cooked super soft and should melt in your mouth.

For the spices, roast all the above ingredients in a pan. Keep tossing them and do not allow them to get burnt. Once roasted, grind them to a fine powder.

Now comes the gravy- Heat oil in a wok and add the chopped ginger. Add the onions and sauté them till translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook the mixture till the oil separates (takes around 8 to 10 minutes). Add the fresh ground spices and garam masala with chilli powder. Cook on a medium flame till the masala gets incorporated. Mix the cooked chickpeas and adjust salt according to taste. Add a little bit of water to cook the chickpeas. Allow it to cook on a medium flame for 20 minutes(keep stirring it consistently). Garnish with chopped onions, lemon wedges, split green chilli pieces or coriander leaves. Enjoy!