Kala chana Masala without Onion and Garlic

We have at least one kind of whole legume every day and this has made me very conscious about which is better and which is good in what. We all love kabuli chana or the garbanzo beans (chick peas). They taste really good, but they are too high in carbs and not so in fiber and minerals. I have limited making kabuli chana only for gatherings and not for every day cooking. Coming to the point of kala chana, I wanted to make a liquidy side dish for chapathi and not just usili/huggi/sundal. One of the challenges was to make it without onion and garlic since my MIL does not take them. Result was surprisingly good side dish. Here it is if someone is trying to make it without onion and garlic for some reason.

Ingredients:
Black chana - 11/2 cups soaked in enough water overnight and pressure cooked till soft with some salt
Tomatoes - 3 small or 2 big
Oil - 3 TBSP
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece grated finely
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Chana masala / chole masala powder - 1 tsp - 1 1/2 tsp as per taste
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or to taste
salt - to taste
Cilantro - chopped finely 3 TBSP (optional)
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - a pinch

Method:
Puree tomatoes in a blender. You could blanch and remove the skin and then puree, but I just cut them into big chunks and blended. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, grated ginger. When they are all done, add the pureed tomatoes. Let them simmer for a while. Take about  1/2 cup of cooked chana and blend that into paste in the blender. You can add a little water if needed. Add turmeric, chana masala powder, red chilli powder, amchur to the boiling tomato paste. Let it simmer for a minute and then add the chana paste, and the remaining cooked chana. Let them simmer. Check for the seasoning and adjust it if required. Add the coconut milk, cilantro if using and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes and turn off the heat. Serve with rice, rotis, pooris or chapathis. This can be a little liquidy in the beginning, but gets thick when cooled down, so make sure you add some water to make it watery in the beginning and not make it very thick.

I would like to send this entry to Susan's 'My Legume Affair'  and to the hosted by EC. 

Happy Cooking!! Pin It