Secret ingredients of

[Geetha]

Great now at last one more chance to improve this recipe of mine..

Does any one know what to add to prepare the exquisite taste of chana or rather kabuli chana the one that goes with baturae, okay not that one either the one that is ever tasing goodness of home mmmm can't get one or more ingredients right in it. I remember the advertsment for the chana masala for MDH or some thing else where the new bride goes about cooking with earphones humming along while preparing to taste for her mil with out fuss, and turns out to her mil's liking.

I'm sure there is more to it than dhania pwd and chilli powd, surely pomegranate seeds ground for the grainy texture...

Sure I would be glad to add my own secret ingredients :))further here but the probelem is no exact knowledge .. does some one here know how to make the propriety chana . Please let me know

Geetha

[Geetha]

I apparently found out there exists two varieties of chana dal or may be more.. I wonder why

here is a link to the two types but no pictures, but I know now what they mean.. because in the south of india they use the first one the brown one.. it has a brown skin and the dried and split up version of the brown is also called chana dal.. coming from a poor know how of dal I am not very well informed er rather counfounded by dals from early age..

Okay the linklink

[da_coolestofall]

Ok to solve some of your problems. Here are some pics

Chana whole

Split chana dal without cover (in Northern India, when a dal is split and has not cover its called "DHULI" for example, masoor dal without cover is called laal massor, or dhuli masoor)

I guess we just have to imaginge what the one with the cover looks like

Edited October 21, 2004 by da_coolestofall (log)

[deliad]

None of these 2 pictures show the Kabuli Chana (or White Chickpeas) that I think Geetha's question is about.

If this link works then they look like this...White Chickpeas

Basic recipe for Cholle that goes with Bhatura remains as follows:

- Soak the cholle overnight

- Pressure cook (approx 4-6 whistles) with some bay leaves, pepper corns and cardamoms

- Cook onions, add tomatoes, add a myriad of spices and add cholle with some water and cook till done.

To save a lot of effort, it is best to use the pre-mix spices like MDH or Everest Cholle masala or Chana Masala. Usually these packets have their own recipes version printed on them as well.

Try and let us know how it turns out. Hope this helps.

[Geetha]

I harried one nice bangladeshi store person jus some hours ago for the elusive chana masala.. he said there is no such masala availabe or at least in Shan range of spice mixtures. He's promised me to ask National.

I've got to go to patelbros for this now hmm.. could'nt some nice person here instead give me ingredients to ponder about.. keep me thinking on it.. chole or chana masala is my long lost fvourite on of the few things I still recapture in my mind not remembering who made it the best. Some one did it to me and this assault to my senses has lasted this long so there is something special about the chole masala and also there is truth to the ad about the chole masala that there is somthing secretive shall I say proprietery about it that no one wants to speak of it to this south indian.. hmmm so why not should I try to ask of it why I've not yet found out about after having lived 12 years in North

[Milagai]

I like MDH masala to make chhole.

more secrets taught by my mother's sikh friend:

1. while cooking the chana, add a pinch of soda bicarb.

gives that "bazaar" taste.

2. at the end stages, dunk a teabag in. also add a dollop

of tamarind paste. both these give a good dark color and add

a nice tang. remove and discard teabag.

but geetha, like "hotel sambar" vs. "home sambar", it's rare

to get that great street food taste at home. maybe you need

to replicate the general unhygenic conditions at home :)

milagai

[BBhasin]

to get that authentic bazaari taste cook with ' naali ka paani'

and temper with ' sara ( burnt due overuse) hua oil'

just kidding!

even when you are using the canned cooked chick peas

boil them for some time with some cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom and bayleaf. You channa will be nice and soft and infused with a wonderful flavor.

Talking of channa, I was at my local organic store and picked up this pack of ' Black Kabuli Channa' these dry uncooked chick peas are totally black in color.

I have soaked to soften them before cooking and no color ran. Does anyone know about these? Will post later how they turned out.

[bong]

Talking of channa, I was at my local organic store and picked up this pack of ' Black Kabuli Channa' these dry uncooked chick peas are totally black in color.

←

Is this the same as "Kala Chana"?

[BBhasin]

Talking of channa, I was at my local organic store and picked up this pack of ' Black Kabuli Channa' these dry uncooked chick peas are totally black in color.

←

Is this the same as "Kala Chana"?

←

no bong, kala channa is kind of dark brownish, this is charcoal black!

i will try and see if i can put up a couple of pics.

[Geetha]

An honest answer to all above is too bad great is the participation on your side though all the same I am still left wondering what are the 18 blends of spices that were touted to go in to the making of real chana or cholle.. hmm

May I truly ask some more secret ingredients if it is at all possible for any one to tell more than tricky tips here above..

It just makes my head go spinn and spin again and again thinking how many and how all those ingredients were added on to this favourite dish and how they got accumulated onto cholle.. some one with history lessons on cholle I'd be interested in any one with the know how of how to find this out too.. okay no more grumbles...

[Geetha]

Deliad I did try out the methods described here but not with MDH masala I just got back two days ago from patel bros and got both chana and rajma masala thats another one of mystries. My husband is hysterical when ever I talk to him about rajma it turns out that I was before I met him ever cooking rajma day-in and day-out well that only proves to him I try too often to perfect out my recipes ..

I just saw they say a lot of newer ingredients in their masalas only common thing new in the masalas of channa and rajma is musk melon, and the other ingredient in rajma that is new is pomegranate seeds.. well I told you so ..

Any way I tried making cholle with the channa masala of another brand of mixes available at our bangladeshi stores which is not Indian but then tried to do their best even mentioning that it was a punjabi line of cuisine thing on top of cover so for your information ...but it was not all that well executed one there is more to it then any way I still will see how MDH turns out for me ..

I didn't like the whole idea of adding soda to it though it does make it softer, I have memory of channa that tastes good and is still integral in whole sense well not too soft as it becomes and some how the tastes change too much(where on earth did I get so sensitive..)

I'd go to great extents if it were really good to taste but no its not so I will let go of soda(I think I still have my mothers voice telling me to resist soda addition I think)

Any way thanks for so much interest in this humble attemtp of trying to replicate one of the best cuisines I've tasted so far..

Regards

Geetha

[Manoras]

You really don't need to add soda, I think that spoils the taste. Just plain boiling in a pressure cooker should do it. I remember when I was little we used to add tea leaves when boiling the chick peas. But once we acquired a cast iron skillet that eliminated the need for tea leaves and thats how the halwais in Delhi made it - in big kadais which are cast iron.

I don't use canned because they are 'al dente' shall we say. Add a little oil to the hot cast iron skillet and add chopped onion and saute till light pink. Then add dried ground pomegranate seeds and dry cumin powder and fry a minute or so and add chopped garlic and ginger. Then dump in the boiled chickpeas including the water and add cayenne pepper, black pepper chopped green chillie and adjust the tartness with mango powder. Let it simmer till the water dries up or the desired consistency is reached. Garnish with tomatos and onions and coriander. Enjoy