simple Channa Masala

Ingredients:
Channa - 1/2 cup ( soak overnight in water ).
Onion - 1/2 chopped (Medium size)
Tomato - 1  and 1/2 chopped
Garlic - 1 big
Ginger - small piece ( equivalent to garlic )
chilly powder - 1 tsp
corriander powder - 1tsp
Heavy whipping cream - 1 tsp
Oil - few tsp

To Temper :
Bay leaves - 1
Cloves  -1
Cinnamon - 1 small stick

Method:
Pressure cook the soaked channa with needed salt and keep it ready.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add onion , garlic and ginger.Saute well and then add tomatoes.Once the tomatoes turn mushy.Add the chilly powder and corriander powder. Saute for few minutes and turn off.
Let it cool for a while.Later make a paste out of it adding water in the Blender.

Heat 1 table spoon of oil, once they are hot, add the items given under 'To Temper'.Add the ground paste and add needed water and let it boil for few minutes.Add the needed salt for the gravy alone.

Now add the cooked channa. Adjust water and other spices if needed.I just smashed them once with the smasher.Just before turning off, add the cream.Give a stir and turn off.
Serve hot with rotis, bhaturas, poori and rice.

This is a basic version, there are lot of variations, which i would post soon.

Coconut chutney with Almonds

Ingredients:

Fresh grated coconut -3/4 cup

Green chilly 1 and 1/2 ( adjust according to your taste )

Almonds 5 ( you can removed the skin if you want, but  it is optional )

Dhaliya/ pottukadalai - 1 table spoon

Ginger 1/2 inch piece

Curry leaves fresh - 1 full spring 

Salt to taste

To Temper:

Oil 1 tsp

Mustard 1/2 tsp

Urid dhal 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves few

1 red chilly - optional

Method:

Grind all the ingredients together with water.Consistency should not be too thin nor too thick.

Heat oil and add the items given under to temper , once they splutter, pour it on top of the ground chutney. Serve  with hot idli, dosai or pongal. 

 

Channa dhal coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
Channa dhal - 1/4 cup
grated coconut - 3/4 cup
green chilly - 2
tamarind - very very small piece
ginger  - 1/2 inch piece
cilantro - 4 strands
salt to taste

To temper:
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Urid dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
red chilly - 1 ( optional)

Method:
 Dry roast the channa dhal, until the color turns slightly. Turn off the heat and soak the dhal in water for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile saute the coconut with our oil for just few minutes ( color should not change ) and let it cool.
Saute ginger, chilly, cilantro, tamarind all together with out oil for just a minute and turns of the flame.
After 20 minutes, grind the channa dhal first then add the rest of the ingredients and grind it well by adding water.Add salt according to taste.
Consistency should be little thicker than the normal chutney.
To temper: Heat the oil , add mustard, urid dhal, curry leaves, red chilly and let it splutter. Add it to the chutney.