Recipe#11820

Title: Chana Masala 04

From: Sujata Prakash prakash@server.uwindsor.ca 
 Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes 
 Subject: Channa Masala 
 Message-ID: CtFMxn.296@uwindsor.ca 
 Date: Mon, 25 Jul 1994 00:18:05 -0400 (EDT) 
 Organization: University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada 

The recipe I'm posting will have some Indian names for spices, as
 I don't know the English equivalent for some Indian spices. But,
 you could get these spices from any Indian grocery store.
 Channa masala takes a while to prepare.
 Soak two cups chick peas (garbanzo beans, not the canned kind)
 overnight in water. By morning, they will have bloated upto twice
 their original size.
 Also soak 2 tablespoons "anaardaana"(dried pomegranate seeds) in
 water, overnight. In the morning, drain out the water, grind them
 to a fine pulp.
 In a pressure cooker, cook the chick peas with two teaspoons salt
 added, for about 20 minutes. I have a cooker that I bought in India.
 Indian cookers give a shrill loud whistle to indicate that now its
 time to turn the heat to low-medium. So, basically, I cook the
 chick peas for 20 minutes on low- medium heat after the first
 whistle.
 In a large frying pan or wide-bottom pot, heat 4 tablespoons oil.
 Add
 5-6 cloves
 Bay leaves (called "Tej pattha"), about 5-6 large sized ones.
 7-8 whole black peppers
 1.5 teaspoon minced garlic
 1.5 teaspoon minced ginger
 and fry for a minute or less on low-medium heat.
 Add two very large finely chopped (or better, grated) onions. Turn
 the heat to medium-high and fry for some more time, till onions
 are slightly browned.
 Add a 3-4 ounce can of tomato paste, and one fresh chopped tomato.
 Cook till oil starts appearing on the sides of the pan.
 You may also have to add about a cup of the chick pea water (from
 the pressure cooker) so that the onion-tomato sauce in not too
 thick but has the consistency of gravy.
 Mash about half a cup of the boiled chick peas and add to the onion
 tomato sauce, cook for a minute more and then add the "anaardaana"
 paste. This paste is responsible for imparting  a dark color to
 the sauce.
 Add the boiled chick peas along with some more of the water,
 depending on how "dry" or "liquidy" you like your Channa Masala.
 Remember, when this cools down, its always going to lose some of
 the water and become more thick.
 In the end, add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, mix well. Turn off the
 heat.
 Garnish with onion (cut into rings) and plenty of finely chopped
 cilantro.
 you like your Channa Masala hot, you may add a teaspoon of "red
 chilli powder" just before adding the tomato paste.