Channa / Chickpeas Kurma

Chickpeas / channa cooked in a spicy, aromatic and coconut based gravy. This is a perfect combination for many Indian tiffin items and a hit variety among my friends!

Ingredients:

Channa / Chick peas / Garbanzo Beans – 1 cup

Onion – 1 (Big)

Tomato – 1 (Big)

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

coriander powder- ¾ tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - for seasoning

Corriander leaves – to garnish

To Grind 'A':

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves

Green chillies - 2

Cinnamon – 1

Cloves – 3

Cardamom – 2

Fennel seeds – 1 tsp

To Grind 'B':

Coconut – ¾ cup

Cashew nut - 5

For seasoning:

Bay leaf- 1

Curry leaves - 5 to 6

Directions

Soak the channa overnight or nearly for 7 to 8 hours.

Pressure cook channa by adding little salt and water, until it becomes soft. 

Finely chop the onions and grind the tomato into puree and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai; season it with bay leaf and curry leaves. After it crackles, add finely chopped onion and fry till colour changes.

Next add grounded paste 'A' and all the spice powders (red chilli powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder and pureed tomatoes.

Sauté well till the raw smell goes; if it is sticking to the pan, add little water.

Add the cooked channa with water and grounded paste 'B'.  Mix well.

Allow it to boil till the gravy thickens.  Let it simmer for 10 minutes or till the oil comes out. 

Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with chappathi, poori, hoppers (Appam) or string hoppers (idiyappam).

Note:

Adjust the water quantity and spice level according to your taste.

For a low fat version, take a hand full of cooked channa grind it coarsely and add this to the gravy for thickness instead of  using coconut.