Channa Pulao/Chickpea Pulav 2

I love cooking and eating variety or mixed rice. None in my family except Abhi likes them. Now since packing lunch boxes have become a routine, Amma finds it easy to roster me for making some variety rice as she will cook a proper meal for them in the afternoon. Now I have a chance to try various mixed rice’ and one such is this pulao. The flavours will keep lingering forever. Letz get on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Chickpeas/Kabuli Channa-1cup

Rice-1 & ½ cups

Onion-2, sliced

Tomato-1, finely chopped

Red chilli powder- ½ tsp

Chole/Channa Masala powder- 1 tsp

Salt- as needed

Yoghurt/Thick unsour curd-2 tbsp

To Temper:

Oil-1 tbsp

Ghee-1 tsp

Bay leaf-1

Star anise-1

Stone flower-1 tsp

Black cardamom-1

Mint leaves-2 tbsp

To Grind:

Green chilli-1

Ginger-1 inch piece

Garlic-4 cloves

Mint leaves-1 tbsp

Coriander leaves-1 tbsp

Add a little water to the above mentioned ingredients and grind into a smooth paste.

How It Happened:

1. Wash and soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight. Soak the rice for 30 minutes and set aside.

2. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, add the ingredients mentioned under the ‘to temper’ list.

3. When they sizzle, add ground paste and sauté in simmer until the raw smell goes off.

4. Add onions and fry until golden brown. Then add the tomatoes and cook until they are completely mushy /dissolved.

5. Add red chilli powder, chole masala powder and yoghurt and mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

6. Now add chickpeas, rice, salt and 3 cups of water and mix well.

7. When it starts bubbling close the lid and let it cook for 1 whistle in medium flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Then switch off the flame and let it cool down.

8. Open the lid, fluff it with fork, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita.

Notes:

* Ghee adds a nice flavour to the dish. But you can skip it.

* Instead of chole masala you can add garam masala too.

* I used parboiled rice but basmati rice can be used too.

* Do not add spices more than mentioned else they may turn the dish a little bitter.