Punjabi Kala Chana Masala - Chola/sookha chana/Black Chick Pea gravy

Chickpeas, also known as Garbanzo beans, Indian peas or Kabuli chana, are the brown coloured beans of a legume plant. These are green when raw and turn brown when dried. These are nutritious and rich in protein that makes the diet healthy. And the Black chickpeas or kala chana or Bengal gram or cholar dal(in bengali) are darker seeds and has smaller seeds and a rough coat. White chickpeas are lighter coloured, has larger seeds and a smoother coat.
Nutritional Value of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram) :
Chickpeas are high in protein and one of the earliest cultivated vegetables. Chickpeas are rich inPotassium, Phosphorus, magnesium and Calcium. It also has good amount of Iron, Sodium, selenium and small amount of Copper, Zinc and Manganese. Chickpeas are rich in choline with good amount of Vitamin A and C. It also has small amount of Vitamin E, K, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid.
Black chickpeas have a higher fiber content than Kabuli chana/white chickpeas and hence a very low Glycemic Index(GI) which may make them suitable for people with blood sugar problems.

Health Benefits of Chickpeas: 

Chickpeas make nutritious and healthy diet. It reduces cholesterol, prevents constipation and helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome. Daily consumption of Chickpeas reduces risk of coronary heart disease and iron deficiency; helps stabilize the blood sugar levels.
So, include these members of legume family in your diet as much as possible to have a healthy diet.

Punjabi Kala Chana masala/Black Chickpea gravy

This recipe of kala chana is from Punjabi cuisine, is very tasty and flavourful, try it out.......................

Ingredients :

Kala chana/ black chickpeas/Chola : 1 cup
Boiled Potatoes : 2 (medium)

Onion : 2 (medium-chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste : 2 tblsp.
Tomato : 1 (big-chopped)
Tomato paste/puree : 2 tblsp.
Green Chilli : 1 or 2(chopped)
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2-3 tsp.
Coriander powder : 2 tsp.
Punjabi Chole Masala : 2 tsp.(I used Sanjeev Kapoor's Chloe masala; it was great)
Garam masasla powder : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste 
Oil : 2-3 tblsp.
Whole garam masala  : 2-3 of each(cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves) 
Chat masala/dry mango(amchur) powder : 1 tblsp.

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing



Method :

• Soak chick peas over night if possible or for 3-4 hours in hot water. Black chick peas soaks faster than white chick peas/ kabuli chana. Then pressure cook the dal until done about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Boil potatoes until tender and cut into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan, add whole garam masala, wait for a minute , then add finely chopped onions and green chillies. Fry for a while, when onions turn slightly brown, add ginger-garlic paste. Stir to mix together. Add finely chopped tomatoes in it. Stir until tomatoes get soft ad pulpy.
• When tomatoes are soft, add all powdered spices with 1/4 cup water to cook the spices well. Stir fry the masalas until oil seperates, then add tomato puree/ paste into it. Stir again until it mixes well with the masala paste. Now add boiled chickpeas and potatoes. 
• Stir for a while, then add reserved water from boiled chickpeas and if needed add little more water, total about 1 and 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt. In medium heat, let it cook for about 6-7 minutes or until you get desired consistency of gravy, not too thin, not too thick kind. I like some gravy to enjoy with roti, paratha. 
• When the gravy is right, remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle some chat masala or dry mango powder/amchur powder over it and enjoy...................
  

Goes well with puri, roti/chapati or paratha, naan, any kind of Indian bread..............

Sending this to MLLA 19, hosted by EC of SImple Indian Food, event is the brainchild of Susan of The Well-seasoned Cook...