How To Cook Indian project - Dish 33
Ok, this week I’ve diverged a little from my usual process and made something outside of the book. But wait, why is it still part of the #HowToCookIndianProject? Well, it’s because I made a masala mix described in the book. So I’m counting it!
My mom had suggested this recipe to me for Chana Bhatura. It was something she really enjoyed eating back in India and decided to make it. She sent the recipe to me, in case I wanted to try it too. It required a chholay (chickpeas) masala mix, so I figured I could count it. :P
Chana Bhatura (My Ginger Garlic Kitchen blog)
First of all, in case you were not aware, chholay, chole, chana are all words for chickpeas (which are also called garbanzo beans). Why does this one food have so many names, I have no idea. I prefer chana, so that’s what I’ll use. I’ve only cooked chana once before and it didn’t go well. Even with soaking the chana, they still weren’t very soft. This time around I let the chana soak for almost 24 hours, and had to double the cooking time as I don’t have a pressure cooker. But by putting in the extra time, they turned out much better.
The Chana Bhatura took some time to prepare. At first the chana was a bit too watery, but I just kept cooking it down until the curry got a bit thicker. It was also super spicy, but I just followed the recipe because I wasn’t sure what this chef’s spice level was like. Now that I know, I would definitely reduce the number of green chilies used.
As for the bhatura, I was worried it wasn’t going to puff up. I don’t have a lot of faith in my bread making capabilities. But I followed the recipe and they did puff up! I was so excited. Also, since they were fried… they were super tasty. Maybe not the healthiest thing in the world, but still tasty.
Chholay Masala (spice mix for chana - pages 25-6)
This recipe called for tirphal, which I didn’t have, so I skipped it. Tirphal is a spice from a tree that grows in the rain forests of India. Other than that, I followed the recipe to make this mix, but cut down the number of dried red chilies by half.
Disclaimer and links: As I can’t just post the recipe from the book (I guess I don’t want to get in trouble over copyright) I am including links to similar recipes. That said, I didn’t make the linked recipes, so I can’t vouch for them. I’m only including them in case you want to make something similar, but don’t want to buy the book.