Chickpea curry
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The north Indian chickpea curry “Punjabi chole” is a highly prized dish and variations of it can be found all over the peninsula. The chole masala spice mix needed for the recipe is best mixed and ground yourself. The spice mix is a great gift idea.
Ingredients for four
1 teaspoon chickpea puree 2 tablespoons tomato puree 2 teaspoons tamarind 2 centimetres of tomato paste3 cloves of garlic 2 onions 2 teaspoons of sugar (leave out the butter) 1 tablespoon of cooking oil; fresh coriander or mint Chole masala spice mix (available ready-made in Indian shops) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon black cardamom 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 teaspoon cumin seeds2 cloves 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds 1-5 dried chillies (to taste) Tip: The original chickpea curry or Punjabi Chole is made from dried chickpeas. The chickpeas are soaked in black tea over night to soften them and give them a dark colour. You can skip this part by buying chickpea broth.
Start by grinding chole masala. All ingredients in a food chopper and finely grind to a powder (it’s a good idea to make my spice mix from stock). Peel and chop all the onions. Add the ginger, but leave a little for garnish. Take a pan of linguine and spoon some cooking juices into it. Sauté the onions and ginger in the pan for a minute. Add 1 teaspoon of chole masala and heat the spices for a while in a hot pan. Pour most of the broth out of the chickpea jar and pour the rest into the pan. Add my tomato puree and tamarind. Start cooking until the mixture comes quietly together. Add the sugar and chole masala seasoning mix a teaspoon at a time and cook because I like my chickpea curry to be rich. However, the chilli must be present in the food – otherwise you wouldn’t dare call it Indian. Garnish the chickpea curry with coriander leaves and a sprig of ginger.
