Kala Chana Usali (dry sabji- festival dish)

Black Chickpeas are one of the staple legumes available in the pantry of any Indian kitchen. Loaded with proteins they taste delicious once it is cooked. It has inbuilt creamy texture and soft taste to it. It is a filling legume and hence there a few dishes that are made during religious fasting days. Usually, when a dish is made on a fasting day, people avoid adding harsh spices like ginger, garlic, onion etc and try to keep it simple. Here is one such dish which is made every now and then with minimum spices and yet it tastes great! Less is more is apt for this particular recipe.

One can substitute it with regular chickpeas too. These days you can get cooked chickpeas in cans and don't have to go through the process of soaking it for 8 hours and then pressure cooking it. I prefer doing it that way but if your schedule doesn't allow you with reminders and elaborate preps, go ahead and buy a tin of chickpeas. Remember to drain out the liquid (high content of sodium) and rinse it nicely a couple of times before using it in any dish.

During the 9 days of Navaratri people from all over the sub-continent of India do fasting. This dish is very popular during those days and is prepared using kala chana. It is a dry sabji and goes well with poori, roti etc. It is also made as an offering to the God (prasad) during many other auspicious festivals.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup kala chana (black chickpeas)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 string curry leaves
• 2 red dry chilies
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4th tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 tsp garam masala (optional, I like it)
• 1 green chili (optional)
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1-2 tbsp grated coconut as garnish
• 1 tbsp cilantro chopped

Preparation:

• Soak kala chana in 3 cups of water overnight or for about 6-8 hours. It will double in size and you will get around 2 cups of chana. Pressure cook for 8 whistles or if you have a cooker without the whistle, follow those instructions accordingly. It must be cooked nice and soft.
• In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, once it starts to crackle add curry leaves, dry red chili, asafoetida, quickly saute and add chili pwd, haldi, stir quickly. Work on the med flame. Do not let it burn. Immediately add the kala chana and mix everything nicely. 
• Add a little water from the cooked chana itself along with the salt. Add grated coconut and mix. Cook for another 5 minutes on med flame. Turn off the gas. Sprinkle cilantro on top! Serve hot with pooris.

You may also enjoy tomato poori, lachcha paratha, ragi poori, Kala Chana Sabji(gravy)

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefit:
Channa is loaded with proteins. The fact that chickpeas have low glycemic index (GI) makes this legume good for diabetics. It causes a slow and steady release of glucose into the bloodstream and thus, maintains your blood sugar levels. Chickpeas also help in relieving mood changes during menstruation and post-menopausal symptoms in women. The high fibre content in chickpeas helps in promoting a healthy digestive system and intestine by lowering the risk of digestive disorders.