Yes, I am Vegan

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Not your regular Channa Masala-An Authentic Punjabi Version

by 34 Comments

Are you a fan of Channa Masala?I am. A huge one. Any restaurant you go to, you could ask for a vegan version and 99.99% of the time, it will be vegan. When one of my students ‘A’ mentioned that, her mum is of Punjabi heritage, I was like ‘I need Channa Masala recipe’. And her mum emailed me one. Her mum’s name is Geetali.K. She is such a sweetheart-I emailed her heaps of times and she got back to me instantly. If you happen to live in Sydney, she runs Indian Cooking classes at Macquarie Community College.

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 This is not a regular channa masala. This is super special. No garlic/tomatoes. Cooked with tamarind, it is one of those curries which will definitely stand out in the lot. This recipe has been passed over for generations and I am sure it will for many more. I have eaten a fair share of curries but nothing this unique.
 You need:

  • Dry Chickpeas-1/2 cup-soaked overnight with 3 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 2 dry chilies
  • Large red onion-1-finely chopped
  • Oil-1 tbsp+1.5 tsp
  • To roast in a tsp of oil and grind in spice mill- (1 Tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 5 red chili, black pepper-10 nos, fenugreek seeds-1/4 tsp)-This will be your spice mix
  • Garam masala-1 tsp
  • Ginger-1 inch piece
  • Cumin seeds-1 tsp
  • Tamarind-2 Tbsp tightly packed soaked in 1.5 cups hot water.
  • Chili powder (extra) – if needed
  • Turmeric-1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander leaves – a handful-finely chopped
  • Juice from lemon juice and finely chopped onions- garnish

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Method:

  • In a pressure cooker/stock pot, boil chickpeas (with salt and turmeric-use 1/2 tsp here) until soft in 2 cups water. Drain and store this stock (you can use some in this curry [or] in any other soups)
  • After they are done, take 1/4 cup chickpeas out-mash it well[or[chuck them in food processor-this is what adds a creamy texture to your curry. Add it back to your pressure cooker. Place this aside.
  • Make the spice mix.
  • Get your hands dirty and massage, squeeze the tamarind pulp, take the juices out and keep the pulp aside. You will need this for your second extract. Use 1/2 cup of drained water and add it to the pulp. Massage again and extract more juices. Discard the pulp.
  • To a sauce pan, add a tbsp of oil, once hot, add onions and fry until golden brown.
  • Add the spice mix fry for a minute until this awesome aroma fills the house 🙂
  • Add tamarind extract, salt, rest of turmeric and let it boil for 12 mins on a medium heat.
  • Do a taste check if you need more heat, throw some chili powder in.
  • Add it to the stockpot/pressure cooker, cover and let it simmer for 8 mins on medium heat.
  • If it is too thick, you can add the drained water and make it watery.
  • Remove off heat and add coriander leaves
  • Serve with finely chopped raw onions and lemon juice with any rice/flatbreads

 

 

Comments

  9. Wow wow wow am droooooooooling here… This can a masala looks super luscious – soaking in whole spices and tamarind puree is absolutely new to me.. can’t wait to give it a try… thanx dear for such awesome recipe… 🙂 🙂

    Reply

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