Chole Masala

One thing my hubby and I have not been able to compromise on is our personal preference when it comes to Roti and Rice. He is a Roti eater, while I am a total rice fan. I somehow have never developed the taste for Rotis and Parathas, even though I can cook them. But one dish that can make this diehard rice fan grab for those rotis, is Chole Masala.

The best combination however, to have Chole would be with pooris. Fry some hot pooris and serve them with the spicy tangy chole to take your guests to food heaven.

Chole Masala is like comfort food . It could well be my signature dish. I’ve made it so many times at home, but have never got bored cooking it and hubby dear of eating it.

So here is the recipe for my version of the Chole Masala:


Ingredients
•Kabuli Chana/ Chole/ Chickpeas: around 2 cups, soaked in water for about 8 hours
•Large Onions: 2 ground in a food processor
•Fresh Tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped: 3 large
•Teabags: 1-2
•Ginger Garlic paste: 1.5 tsp
•Green Chillies: 2
•Chana Masala powder: 1 tbsp
•Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
•Red Pepper Powder/ Chilli Powder: 1 tsp 
•Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp
•Tamarind paste/Vinegar to taste
•Anardhana powdered: 1 tsp (optional)
•Cumin seeds: for seasoning, around ½ tsp
•Bay Leaves: 2
•Oil/Ghee: 2 tbsp
•Salt to taste
•A little sugar
•Chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp

Garnish
•Finely sliced Onion rings
•Lemon slices 
•Green Chillies

Kitchen Items Required
•Pressure Cooker to cook the Chole in
•A thick bottomed vessel, preferably nonstick to fry the masalas
•A wooden spatula and a ladle

Method

1) Soak the Chole overnight or for around 8 hours. Cook them in a pressure cooker with enough water, salt and with two teabags -added to enhance their color. Once well cooked, keep aside and discard the teabags.
2) Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the bay leaves, and the onion paste. Add salt. Fry till the onions lose all their moisture and turn brown. It might take a while but this step is very important.
Note: Salt helps remove the moisture from onions quickly. Just a pinch of it should be enough.
3) Now add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies, anardhana, turmeric and chilli powders and mix well. Add in the fresh tomato puree and keep stirring till the mixture loses most of its moisture content and oil starts leaving the sides. Add Chana Masala powder to the mixture (you could use any of the good brands available at your local Indian store). Add in the garam masala, a pinch of sugar and vinegar as well.
4) Reduce the heat but keep stirring the mixture till it becomes one nice lump. However, take care not to burn the masala in the process.
Note:
It is a good idea to make this masala in larger batches and freeze it, so you don’t have to go through all the trouble, the next time around.
5) Now add in the chole with the water in which it was cooked to the mixture. Using a wooden spoon, crush a few chole to make them into a paste to thicken the gravy. Stir well and check for salt, acid and spice. If more spice is required, add more Chana Masala powder. Add water as required.
6) Garnish with cilantro and serve
7) Chole Masala is normally served with onion rings and lemon wedges as accompaniment. Garnish with one or two green chillies as well.
Note:
a) The two most important ingredients in this version of the Chole Masala are the onions and the tomatoes. The key to making a good Chole Masala is to fry the onions and tomatoes to remove all the moisture thus converting the masala into one good malleable mass.
b) Many a times, we end up soaking too much Chole because we are not really sure what the right quantity is.
A good rule of the thumb to follow when deciding how much chole (or any lentil) is to be cooked is to go by the ratio : 1 fist per person. So if you are cooking for 10 people, soak 10 fists of Chole. Hope this helps :)