Dhal pinni ~ Vegan Spinach dhal ~ Palak dhal

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In the comfort food category, dhal ranks very high on my list. Especially when I am looking for something simple and comforting to go with my rotis, I like to have some dhal. The only issue I have is that most dhal recipes I make,  have a base of onions and tomatoes. And when I cook for my mother in law I have to find ways to avoid onions since she doesn't eat onions on most days of the week for one reason or the other. Of course there is always tadka dhal that does not use onions, but If dhal is on the menu every week, there is only so much tadka dhal I can have :)

So the other day when I was browsing through a recipe book by Tarla Dalal and I came across a very unique recipe for dhal, I was intrigued. This no onion, no garlic dhal recipe has kabuli chana (chick peas) along with other lentils, and has a masala that surprisingly includes some coconut in it. I have to admit this is the first time I have ever seen coconut being added to dhal and I was very keen to try it. So pretty soon I made this dhal with a few changes and I just loved it. I've made this a few more times since then, although not as often as I would like and this dhal never fails to satisfy. It is full of flavor and nutrition and tastes great with rotis and phulkas.

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Ingredients and method to make dhal pinni (adapted from Tarla Dalal's book Jain Desi Khaana)

1/4 cup chick peas (  kabuli chana  )

1/4 cup split pigeon peas (tur dhal )

1/4 cup split red lentils ( masoor dhal)

1/4 cup split mung beans lentil (moong dhal/ pasi parrappu) 

1 cup finely cut tomatoes pieces (I used 1 large tomato for this )

3 cups packed finely chopped spinach (palak/ keerai)

2 green chilies cut fine ( or to taste) (hari mirch/ pachai molagai)

Salt to taste (namak/ uppu)

1 tsp sugar (shakkar)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/manjal podi)
1 tbsp oil 

Masala paste

1 tsp coriander seeds (dhania)

1 tsp poppy seeds ( khus khus )

3 dry red chilies (sukhi lal mirch) ( or to taste)

1 clove (laung)

2 Tbsp grated coconut (nariyal/ thengai)

2 Tbsp cashew nuts (kaju)
2 tsp oil

Handful of cilantro (hara dhania/ kothamalli ) cut fine for garnish.

Soak chickpeas/ kabuli chana overnight or for 6 to 8 hours in sufficient water. Drain water, fill with fresh water and cook the chickpeas in the pressure cooker or on the stove top until soft. If you are using canned beans, rinse and use in this recipe.

Place the other three lentils/ dhals in a large bowl and fill with water. Swirl with water and drain, repeat a couple of times, then soak the lentils for at least 2 to 3 hours in sufficient water. To the soaked dhal, add  salt, turmeric powder, finely cut green chilies, tomato pieces and more water if needed. Make sure the dhal is fully submerged in water.  Cover the bowl with a lid and place in the pressure cooker and cook until the lentils are cooked, I usually need about 3 to 4 whistles in my pressure cooker.  Alternatively if you do not want to use the pressure cooker or don't have one, place all the above ingredients in a large heavy bottomed  pan and cook adding water as needed until all the lentils are cooked soft and mushy.

For the masala, heat 2 tsp oil in a medium sized pan on low to medium heat, add all the ingredients mentioned under masala except coconut. Saute until the ingredients are fragrant and roasted. Remove from heat and cool. Grind these ingredients with coconut and water as needed to make a smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in  a heavy bottomed pan, add finely cut spinach and saute until the spinach is cooked and wilted. Add the cooked lentil + tomato mixture to this, then add cooked chickpeas and masala paste. Add sugar and water as needed to achieve required consistency and simmer for a few minutes until the flavors mingle. Adjust salt to taste if needed, garnish with cilantro/ dhania and serve hot with roti of choice or with plain steamed rice.

Suggested variation: If you like the taste of ginger you can also add 1/4 tsp dry ginger powder (soonth)  to the dhal , at the time you add sugar. 

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Pindi chole ~ Pindi chana ~ Vegan Chickpeas Curry

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Pindi chole is a type of curry made with chana/ chickpeas with a light coating of spices/ gravy. It tends to be a tad bit drier than the conventional chole or chana masala. While I was reading up about this chole I came across various sources that mentioned that this chole originated in Rawalpindi. I also came across a few that stated that this kind of chole originates from villages in northern India known as pind, hence the name.  I am not sure about the origin of this chole , but I am sure about about one thing this is one amazingly tasty chole variety and I am always happy to have this on my menu :)

Just as for so many other recipes, this chole too has a lot of versions, some with onions, some without, some with tomatoes and some without,  so on and so forth. I have tried a few versions myself, but this version is the one I like the most and make most frequently.  Cooking the chickpeas with spices and tea infuses it with a light flavor and aroma from the spices and a lovely hue from the tea leaves. Try this delicious chole with some rotis/ kulchas / phulkas or even some puris/ bhatura if you are not counting calories and enjoy :)

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Ingredients and Method to make Pindi choley ( Adapted from this recipe)

1 and 1/2 cups chickpeas/ kabuli chana

1 onion cut fine ( pyaaz)

1 cup tomato purée ( I needed 2 med tomatoes for this ) ( tamatar )

2 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine ( or to taste ) ( hari mirch)

1 and 1/2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp  ginger garlic paste ( adrak / lehsun)
1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste) (lal mirch)

2 tsp chana masala ( or to taste)

Salt to taste

For the spice bag

1 and 1/2 tsp loose black tea ( chai patti)

1 and 1/2 stick of cinnamon ( dalchini)

2 black cardamom ( badi elaichi)

A thin muslin cloth/ cheese cloth to make the spice bag

Soak chickpeas/ chana overnight in sufficient water. Make a spice bag/ potli with cinnamon, black cardamom and loose tea.  That is, place the spices in a thin muslin cloth, or 2 layers of cheese  cloth and make into a small bag by bringing opposite sides of the cloth and making a knot in the center. Keep this aside.

Drain chickpeas, fill with  fresh water, add 1 tsp salt and spice bag, close with a lid, place in a pressure cooker and cook until soft. It usually takes me about 4 to 5 whistles in the pressure cooker.  Allow pressure to subside before opening the cooker. Discard the spice bag and keep the cooked chickpeas aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add onions and green chilies and sauté until onions turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and stir a few times.

Add tomato purée, chana masala powder and stir until the mixture thickens a little. Add cooked chickpeas along with any water it was cooked in, adjust salt to taste and simmer until gravy thickens just enough to coat the chickpeas.

I forgot to take a pic of the chole just as it got done, will try and update it when I make it again :) 

Remove from heat and serve hot with phulkas / puris / bhaturas / Indian bread

If you are looking for recipes with chickpeas/ chana here are a few more

Chana Masala ~ Vegan Chickpeas curry

Chana Palak ~ Spinach and Chickpeas Curry

Chana Poha ~ Beaten rice flakes with chickpeas

Aloo Chana Chaat ~ Potato and Chickpeas Snack

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Chana poha ~ Beaten Rice flakes with mixed vegetables and chickpeas

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A few years back, my mother in law mentioned an idea she had come across of making poha with a variety of veggies. This idea appealed to me a lot and since then, from time to time I make a version of poha with veggies in it . A couple of months back when I happened to flip to a cookery channel, I caught the last bit of a show, where the chef made poha with chana/ chickpeas in it. His version had no vegetables though,  just chana. Now I had never tried poha and chana together but I liked this idea too, so I decided to make a version which combines both ideas.

So the very next time I made poha I made this version with vegetables and chana in it. Turned out amazingly well, it was so hearty, filling and delicious. We enjoyed it a great deal and I have been making this version much more often nowadays.  It works great as a snack/ tiffin, for breakfast or even dinner. All the veggies and chana makes it much more filling then the traditional poha. Give this a try and enjoy with your family :)

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Ingredients and Method to make chana poha

3 cups medium thick beaten rice flakes/poha/aval

1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (chana)

1 onion cut fine (pyaaz/ vengayam)

1 bell pepper cut fine (capsicum/ Simla mirch)

1 carrot cut fine (gajar)

2 Tbsp oil

5 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine or to taste ( hara mirch)

1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai/ kadagu)

1 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera/ jeeragam)

15 to 20 curry leaves (kadi patha / karvapillai )

1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

Salt to taste (namak)

Juice of half a lemon or to taste (nimbu )

3 to 4 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania)

Place beaten rice flakes/ poha in a colander or strainer and rinse under cold water for a few seconds. Allow to drain completely for 10 to 15 minutes.

Prep all the vegetables and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds/ rai to it. When the seeds begin to splutter, add cumin seeds/ jeera, when the cumin sizzles. Add green chilies, curry leaves/ kadipatha  and stir a couple of times. 

Add onions and stir until the onions turn translucent. Add the other vegetables, stir a few times, sprinkle a few tsp of water if required, cover with a lid and cook until the veggies are soft, cooked yet firm. Add turmeric powder and stir a couple of times. 

Add cooked chana and mix with other vegetables. Add softened poha, salt to taste and mix well. Cover with a lid and allow the poha to heat all the way through.

Add lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with cilantro/ coriander leaves and mix well. 

Remove from heat and serve hot on its own, or with some ketchup on the side.

Serves approx 3 to 4.

If you are looking for recipes with poha/ aval/ beaten rice flakes, here are a few more

Easy Aval / Poha Laddu ~ Indian sweet with beaten rice flakes

Aval oats payasam/ Poha Kheer ~ Indian pudding

Kanda Poha ~ Savory Seasoned beaten rice flakes

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Kala Chana ~ Raswala Chana ~ Brown Chickpeas curry ~ With Stepwise pictures

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Kala chana or brown chickpeas isn't something I use very often. Even when I do, I usually use it in something like this sundal. Despite the fact that I regularly make curries with a variety of beans, kala chana somehow didn't make it into that list. I have always been wanting to try some kind of curry with these beans, and somehow I always that I would most probably try the Keralite kadala curry first because it is to so well known and well... I've always wanted to try it. :)

But the other day, I was just glimpsing through a Gujarati cookbook by Tarla Dalal and marveling at the fact that there were so many interesting Gujarati recipes I want to try , when I came across her raswala chana. Now what piqued my interest the most about this recipe was the fact that the gravy was so ultra simple. It just had a tiny bit of chickpea flour and some spices and that's it. No garlic, no onion, no ginger yet the curry seemed so interesting. So I gave it a try almost immediately and adapted the recipe slightly to work for us. The curry was so very quick and simple, a perfect side dish for phulkas / flat breads and great for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner.

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Ingredients and Method to make Kala Chana ~ Raswala chana
1 cup brown chickpeas (kala chana) soaked in sufficient water for at least 8 hours

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/manjal podi)
1/2 tsp chili powder (lal mirch/thani molagai podi)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
1/2 tsp ground coriander (dhania powder)
1/4 tsp dry mango powder (amchur powder )
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (sarson/ rai/ kadagu)
2 Tbsp chick pea flour (gram flour/ besan/ kadalai maavu)
1 Tbsp grated jaggery (gud/vellam) (or 2 tsp sugar)
salt to taste (namak/uppu)
3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/kothamalli)

Soak chickpeas in sufficient water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain water, fill with fresh water enough to submerge the beans and pressure cook until soft. I usually keep the beans in the pressure cooker for about 4 to 5 whistles and lower the heat and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or so. Or the beans can be cooked on the stove top with sufficient water until soft.  After the pressure subsides, remove and drain the beans,reserve the cooking water and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a medium sized heavy bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds to it, when the seeds splutter add  besan/ chick pea flour and on low to medium low heat roast until the flour and browns slightly.

Add cooked kala chana/ chickpeas, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander and cumin powder, dry mango powder, salt to taste, jaggery and some water as needed to achieve required consistency and simmer and for 8 to 10 mins until the flavors mingle. You can use the reserved water from the first step for this too.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with phulkas/chapathis / flat breads.

Serves approx 2 to 3 

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Aloo Chana Chaat ~ Indian snack with chickpeas and potatoes.

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As I mentioned in this post, chaat refers to wide variety of snacks made with a variety of ingredients like puffed rice, puris (Indian style tortilla chips), many varieties of beans etc. Most use a combination of sweetish dates chutney and spicy cilantro/ coriander chutney that add delicious layers of flavor to the final dish. Chaat dishes are completely customizable and the final taste can be varied to suit the taste of every member of the family. Like it a bit sweetish, add more sweet chutney, like it more spicy add more cilantro chutney, want to skip raw onions go right ahead.

If I had to choose a favorite kind of chaat I would find it very difficult to do so,I find almost all of them tempting. This aloo chana chaat is one of the things I make from time to time. It is one of the easiest chaats to make. It hardly takes any time to put together once the chutneys are ready. Sometimes I make the chutney a day in advance so that on the day that I am making this chaat, I just have to cook the chickpeas and potatoes and I am set, all I have to do mix everything together and enjoy the chaat :) 

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Ingredients and Method to make Aloo Chana chaat
1 cup cooked chana (chickpeas)
1/2 cup cooked, peeled and diced potatoes (1 medium potato/aloo/urilakizhangu)
2 to 3 Tbsp finely chopped onion (1/4 of a medium onion/ pyaaz/vengayam) (optional, see notes)
2 to 3 Tbsp finely chopped tomato (1/2 of a medium tomato/tamatar/thakkali) (optional, see notes)
1 to 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/kothamalli)
This sweet dates/khajur imli chutney as needed
This cilantro (coriander leaves) chutney as needed
salt to taste
chaat masala a pinch (optional, see notes)
nylon sev (fried gram flour thin noodles) as needed  (available in Indian groceries)

Assemble all the ingredients required for the chaat. In a large bowl, add chickpeas, potatoes. Add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, then two chutneys to taste, salt to taste, chaat masala if using, cilantro and gently mix together.

Top with sev and serve immediately.

Serves approx 1. Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to make more servings.

Notes:
Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook until soft for this recipe (about 4 whistles in the pressure cooker, then turn down heat and cook another 3 minutes or so). You can use canned chickpeas too for this recipe, just make sure to rinse thoroughly.

You can cook the potatoes in the pressure cooker too, or in the microwave until it is soft.

The onions and tomatoes are optional, if you do not like the taste or raw onions or tomatoes or do not have one or the other ingredient on hand, you can skip and make the chaat with just chickpeas and potatoes too. 

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Low Fat Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

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For the longest time I have been wanting to try oven roasting some beans, I always wanted to try first with either chickpeas or mung beans, since both these beans are my favorites and I think a crunchy snack with either of them would taste pretty good. A few weeks back when I was planning to make this chana masala, I decided to keep some cooked chickpeas aside specifically for this "experiment". It is so simple that I am not even sure this qualifies as a recipe, but the results are thoroughly enjoyable, we definitely loved it.

In fact, R who usually tends to favor fried crunchy snacks loved this so much, he even extracted a promise from me that I would make this again and soon :) The best part about this snack, not only is it low fat and crunchy, it is also a really neat way to get some fiber ....cannot ask for more from a snack :) So the next time you are wondering what to make for the weekend movie, here's an idea you might want to consider. It won't make you feel too guilty for indulging the next day :)



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Ingredients and Method to make crunchy roasted chickpeas
1 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas rinsed, drained and patted dry
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (optional)
1/4 tsp garam masala (or to taste) (can be substituted with any other curry powder)
1 tbsp olive oil

Spread the cooked and drained chickpeas on a kitchen tissue for a little while ( I usually keep it for about 15 minutes or so). When most of the moisture has been absorbed by the tissue, use another dry one to pat dry the beans before transferring them to a small bowl.

Pre heat oven to  400 deg F . Line a tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper and keep aside.
In another small bowl add oil and all the spices and mix well.

Pour the oil + spices on the cooked and dried chickpeas and mix well making sure that each chickpea is coated with a little oil + spice mixture.

Spread the chickpeas on the pre lined tray evenly and place in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until it turns golden and a little crunchy.

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Cool to room temperature and enjoy this snack :)

Store the balance of the cooled roasted chickpeas in an air tight container and use within a few days.....if it lasts that long :)

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Gobi Chana Masala ( Chickpeas with cauliflower and potato curry)

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Chickpeas are one of my favorite type of beans. What's not to like about chickpeas....this bean is cute, plump, delicious and very versatile. I enjoy making different curries that combine chickpeas with different vegetables and always find the end result very appealing. Some of my favorite curries with chickpeas in them and that are already posted on this site are this chickpea and spinach curry , this Thai style chickpea curry and this Chana masala

This curry with a combination of cauliflower, potatoes and chickpeas is another one of my favorites. It is very quick, satisfying and delicious. No wonder it is one of my favorites :-) Making this curry does not involve any complicated steps, just a little prepping, some stirring, some basic spices that are usually pantry staples and voila , a delicious curry is ready. Combine this with some naan or roti (Indian flat bread) or even plain steamed rice and you have yourself a complete meal.

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Ingredients and Method to make Gobi Chana Masala
1 cup dry chickpeas (white chana/ garbanzo beans)
1/2 head of a medium  cauliflower broken into florets
1 large russet potato peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 medium tomatoes
2 medium onions cut fine

2 tbsp oil
1 inch piece of ginger minced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
4 tsp garam masala (or to taste)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (optional)

Soak chickpeas in sufficient water for 6 to 8 hours with a pinch of soda (The soda is optional) Drain water and fill with fresh water and pressure cook chickpeas until soft yet not mushy. This can also be done on the stove top, though that takes much longer. Keep the cooked chickpeas aside.

Blanch tomatoes. Read this post on how to blanch tomatoes. Cut tomatoes fine and keep aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, add onions to it and saute until onions turn transparent. Add tomatoes and stir until tomatoes are cooked and soft. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir a few times.

Add all the spices and stir a few times. Add cut potatoes + cauliflower and a little water and allow to cook until both the vegetables are soft yet retain their shape.
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Add cooked chickpeas, more water if required to achieve required consistency, adjust salt to taste and allow to simmer for a few more minutes until all the flavors mingle together.

Remove and serve hot with rotis/ naans or even phulkas, or on a bed of plain steamed rice.

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Chana Masala ~ Chick peas curry

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Chana Masala or Chick pea curry is such a popular and well known curry that it hardly needs any introduction at all. There are many variations of making this curry and the one below is my take on the curry. Among northern Indian cuisine chana masala has always been a favorite of mine. It is healthy, quick to make, delicious and very versatile, what more can you ask for from your curries :-)

Before moving on to the recipe, a couple of interesting facts I recently came across....did you know that chili peppers do more than add heat to your food. It seems chili peppers help in increasing metabolism which in turn helps us to burn more fat. Also it seems an average chili pepper contains more vitamin C than an orange, amazing isn't it? If you are interested in finding out more about the health benefits of chili pepper here is the entire article



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Ingredients and Method to make Chana Masala
2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight in sufficient water with a pinch of soda (the soda is optional)
2 medium onions cut fine (pyaaz/vengayam)
2 large tomatoes cut fine (tamatar/ thakkali)

2 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste) (hara mirch/pachai molagai)
1 tsp chopped ginger (mince green chilies and ginger together) (adrak/inji)
1 1/2 tsp chole masala (or to taste) (available in most Indian groceries)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (lal mirch/molagai podi)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
salt to taste (namak/uppu)
2 tbsp oil

handful cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/kothamalli) cut fine
1 1/2 tsp lemon  juice (or to taste) (nimbu ka ras)

Drain the chickpeas and discard the water in which chickpeas have soaked overnight. To know more about why I soak beans with a pinch of soda and why bean soak water needs to be drained read this post.

Place chickpeas along with fresh water in a container and pressure cook until soft. Or place chickpeas along with fresh water in a large heavy bottomed pan and cook on stove top until soft.

Mince ginger and green chilies together using the mortar and pestle or using a spice grinder attachment.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed container, add onions and saute until onions turn transparent, add minced ginger and green chilies and saute for about a minute or so.
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Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

Add all the spices and stir for a few seconds. Now add the cooked chickpeas, salt to taste and water as required and allow the chickpeas to simmer until all the flavors blend together.

Using the back of the spatula, mash about a handful of chickpeas so that it allows the gravy to thicken a little and also adds some texture to the gravy.Adjust water as required at this point to achieve required consistency.

Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice just before serving.

Serve with plain rice or any Roti (Indian flat bread) of choice or puris or even wheat bread.

Serves approximately 3 to 4

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