Being born in a South Indian household, the frequent snacks at my house used to be varieties of dosas and vadas. Ocassionaly, when I would  drop into a friends house, the aroma of north indian specialities like Chole or Pav bhaji would be a welcome change.

I love Punbaji food. Roti’s with dollops of butter, their parathas and Pindi Chanaa make me drool…One of the things lined up for me for my next visit to India is a visit to a dhaba. A lipsmacking meal finished off with a glass of Lassi. Talk about Gluttony!!!

While that materialises, I am trying to perfect the recipe for Chole myself. It’s a simple chickpea gravy with a tangy taste, that goes well with bombay pav or chappatis or even tempered rice. However, Chole and Batura are what make a perfect couple. I still have a long way to go as far as Bhatura is concerned so its just Chole for today

Ingredients:

Chickpeas 1 can (if you are using raw, then boil it with some salt in a pressure cooker and keep aside)

Heat Oil in a pan. Add jeera seeds. When they begin to splutter, add onions and fry until golden brown. Remove from flame and add all the masalas i.e. tumeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala .Mix it well. Return to flame and stir for another minute taking care the masalas do not burn. You can turn the flame to medium or low when you do this. Now add coarsely ground tomatoes and let it cook until mashed well and you see oil bubbles spurting out. Next, add in the chickpeas and salt. Add water. Cover and cook on medium flame for about 10 minutes until the gravy thickens a bit. Using a spatula mash some chickpeas just to thicken the gravy a bit. Check the sauce. Add lime juice if you need that extra tanginess. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

You can tranfer this to a dish, sprinkle some chopped onions and serve with bombay pav and a piece of lime. I had it with Roti and Bhuga chawar, which is midly spiced pilaf. And it was still all that!!!