Diya's Food Diaries

Channa Batata (Indian Delicacy)

Ingredients
500gm
channa/black chickpeas
4-5
boiled potatoes, cubed
3 tbsp
tomato paste
5 tbsp
oil
5
leaves of limro chopped roughly (curry leaves)
1 tsp
mustard seed
1 tsp
garlic
2 tbsp
grated green/raw mango OR lemon juice
2 tbsp
tamarind pulp
(optional)
salt to taste
2-4
chopped green chilies
1 tsp
chili powder
1 tsp
turmeric
1 tsp
cumin powder
1 tbsp
flour or corn flour mixed in some water to thicken the sauce
(optional)
Instructions
Soak the channa overnight, then boil them with very little salt until soft (too much salt will make them remain hard). This can take up to half an hour in a pressure cooker, longer in a regular pan. Make sure they are boiled until VERY tender, drain and retain half a cup of the water, discard the rest.

You can add a pinch or two of baking soda when boiling these to soften them faster if you want!

Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter, then add the limro/curry leaves followed by the green chillies. Lower heat and add the garlic, stir for a while then add the grated mango and tomato paste. Cook this for a few minutes, then add the boiled cubed potatoes and the chilli powder, turmeric and cumin powder. Let this cook for a bit stirring all the time, you can add a bit of water if it starts getting stuck. Then add the channa.

Stir together and cook for a few more minutes until the flavorful masala covers everything, then add the retained half cup of channa water and enough water to almost completely cover the channa in the pan. Adjust salt and cook for a few minutes until it comes to a soft boil. Then stir in your corn flour or flour mixture if you are using it followed by the tamarind pulp, bring to a boil until the water thickens slightly. Adjust salt if needed, and if you like you can squeeze a little lemon, though sometimes the mango is enough.