“Chana Madra”- Pahari Cuisine-No Onion, Garlic Recipe

Today I a m sharing the recipe of my lunch menu “Chana Madra”. It is a Pahari food that can be traced back to the state of Himachal Pradesh. The word “Pahar” literally means mountains.

There is a wide variety of foods in this region and it is all very delicious. When I was in college, I made lot of friends from this wonderful hilly region and it all proved favorable in expanding my cooking horizon with the delicate yet simple cuisines of this region. Himachali cuisine is something that is unheard by most of the people living outside the beautiful hill state. Although, the food is not different from the regular dal-roti-sabzi of North India, but the simplicity with which it is cooked and served is what makes it different. Also, the use of locally available spices and crops gives the food its rich aroma and high nutritional value.

Chana Madra is prepared by cooking boiled chickpea in thick beaten yogurt. A variety of whole spice including cinnamon, black cardamom, clove and heeng (asafoetida) are used with the turmeric and coriander powder. Little soaked and ground rice are also added to thicken the consistency of the dish. However I prefer to use grounded almond paste(soaked overnight) to thicken the gravy.

Desi Ghee again adds a lot of flavor to the dish. Be careful to use it in moderation. Ideally if I go by the original recipe then I should take equal amount of clarified butter and yoghurt. However I have done my variation by adding 2 tsp. of ghee. You can do a deviation and make this recipe with the help of kidney beans.

The most important step in making Madra is when you add the yogurt. You have to make sure that you stir continuously and do not allow the yogurt to curdle. This is a really crucial step or else you may have disastrous gravy on your hands. If the yogurt seems to have curdled just a little bit, continue stirring the gravy and it will eventually thicken up and be fine.

Ingredients:

Chick peas: 250 gms (soaked overnight)

Yogurt: 250 gms(beaten)

8-10 soaked almonds: You need to peel the skin of the almond and grind it with the yogurt in the mixer.

Whole Spices:

Black Cardamom: 2-3

Cloves: 3-4

Whole Cumin: 1 tsp

Bay leave: One broken

Cinnamon stick:1

Powdered Spices:

Green Cardamom powder:1 tsp

Ginger Powder:1/2 tsp

Sugar: a Pich

Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp

Coriander Powder:1 Tsp

Salt: As per taste

Water : 1 Cup( you can use the residual chickpea broth)

Ghee(Clarified Butter):2 Table Spoon

Method:

1. Wash the soaked peas and drain the water properly. Cook the chick-peas in a pressure cooker with proper water (do not overcook). If required, you can put in a pinch of soda while boiling it to ensure that it is cooked evenly.
2. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cumin seeds, when it starts crackling, it is time to sauté the whole spices. Stir it for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the powdered spices along with the sugar and stir it over a low flame to get rid of the raw smell. Don’t overcook it or else it might get burnt. Now you can add the curd with the almond mixture and be careful to stir it continuously over low flame to avoid any lump. This is a really crucial step and we have to continuously stir it to avoid curdling. Cook it over low flame for 15-20 minutes and add a little water to adjust the consistency.
4. It’s time now to add the chick pea and let it simmer for 10 minutes till it gets a thick consistency and you can see the oil getting separated on top.
5. It is the right time now to add salt and let it simmer for a minute before garnishing it with fresh coriander leaves and serving it with Steamed Rice.

It tastes equally good with Chapattis. Hope you will enjoy the recipe and hopefully try it at home. Happy testing and savor the food for life!