Rich and Creamy Channa Masala

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.

• 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…