Channa Masala

This version of Channa masala is what my sister’s mother-in-law makes. She is my aunt (uncle’s wife) as well and indulges us with her signature pulikoozh, rawa laddoos etc. She also makes the best pulikkaichchal according to my daughter. This she says because when Niki was very young, manni used to make pulikkaichchal and ask Niki to tell her if we could smell it from a distance. This made the child feel important.
My sister is a very choosy eater cooking for whom is not easy.She has been eating Cerelac thro' her 4 years of hostel in Madras Veterinary college:( She dislikes most vegetables and a no-to-masala person. Onions and garlic are NO NO to her. So the following recipe does not have garlic listed in the ingredients. I add garlic and fair amount of other spices usually. But when I am short of time, I switch to this version as it does not require to cook the masala to remove the raw taste.
Ingredients:
1 cup channa (white chick peas)
½ cup coriander leaves washed well and dried over a cloth
3 big red onions
4”piece of ginger
2 teaspoons redchilli powder
2tablespoons any brand channa/chole masala powder
1 lime size ball of tamarind
3 teaspoons powdered jaggery
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cuminseeds
4 green chillis slit lengthwise
2 tablespoons ghee/oil

Method to prepare:
Soak channa overnight or if cooking by evening, soak in warm water by morning.
Drain, wash and pressure cook this until tender. (About 4 whistles in the pressure cooker or 25 minutes in a pressure handi)
Chop onions and ginger. Grind along with cleaned coriander leaves to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Soak tamarind in water and extract a fairly thick paste.
Heat ghee or oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the cumin seeds and the slit green chillis.
Toss for a few minutes. Add the ginger-onion-coriander paste and the tamarind pulp, bring to a boil. Add salt, channa masala, turmeric powder and the red chilli powder. Allow to simmer for atleast 15 minutes on very low fire. Add the powdered jaggery.
Add the cooked channa. Allow to simmer further until the gravy is thick.
Take off the heat and serve hot garnished with strips of ginger and fresh coriander leaves chopped and added.
I’m sending this to Viki’s Side dish for chappati event