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Chana Madra

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So for the month of May the Shhh Cooking Secretly group(started by Priya of Priya’s Versatile Recipes) decided to explore the cuisine of Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh is a multiregional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Himachal is well known for its handicrafts. Pashmina Shawl is one of the products which is highly in demand all over the country. The day to day food of Himachalis is very similar to the rest of North India. Some of the specialties of Himachal include Manee, Madira, Pateer, Chouck, Bhagjery and chutney of til(sesame seeds). (Source Wikipedia)

My partner Jagruti Dhanecha who blogs at Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey, has a wonderful collection of lipsmacking pure vegetarian & vegan recipes. Her imagination and innovations can be seen in her recipes and pictures. Do check her blog out and I am sure you would be trying out a few recipes of her. So Jagruti gave me 2 secret ingredients and they were Chickpeas and Yogurt and as if I was waiting for her to give me that. I immediately decided to make Chana Madra. Madra is originally a delicacy that belongs to the chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. The dish mainly consist of chickpeas cooked in yogurt gravy and a few spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric powder. Madra is one of the dishes that represents the food culture of Himachal Pradesh.

The Chickpea or Chick pea is a legume. Its different types are known as gram or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean or Egyptian pea. Its seeds are high in protein and are one of the oldest consumed crops in the world.  Chickpeas is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. They boost digestion, keep sugar level stable, helps in weight loss and more. It’s a great source of plant based protein. There are a lot of recipes with chickpeas including the famous hummus, salad’s, the famous chole from India etc etc. 

When this cuisine was announced I was eyeing to make this recipe. This is quite similar to kadhi, but without besan and with the addition of Kabuli Channa. It comes out as a nice tangy curry which can be enjoyed with roti/naan or rice. The only thing I would do different in this is prepare it a bit thick as it is a thich gravy. So no more talking and coming to the recipe:

Chana Madra

 

 

Chana Madra

 

Chana Madra

 

 

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Kabuli Chana
  • 1 tablespoon Oil (Original recipe called for mustard, I used vegetable oil)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
  • 1 teaspoon Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
  • 3-4 Cloves crushed
  • 1 Black Cardamom Crushed
  • 1/2 inch Cinnamon Crushed
  • 2 Cups Curd
  • 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder (As per taste)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee
  • 2 tablespoon Coriander chopped (for garnish)

Preparation

  1. Wash the Chana and soak in 4-5 cups of water for 7-8 hours.
  2. Pressure cook the Chana with salt and enough water.
  3. Keep it aside to cool.
  4. Prepare a mixture of Curd along with Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder and Red Chilli powder along with 2-3 cups of water.
  5. In a heavy bottom pan, add Oil.
  6. Once the oil is hot add Hing and Jeera.
  7. Let the Jeera crackle. Once done add Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon.
  8. Stir fry for a few seconds.
  9. Now add the curd mixture and keep stirring in between. Do add enough water to the curd mixture as it should not curdle when added to oil along with masala’s.
  10. Once the curd and water mixture comes to boil add the Chana and let it cook for 10-15 minute on medium to slow. This will help it to mix it nicely.
  11. Add a tablespoon of Ghee to the final mix and garnish with Chopped Coriander.
  12. Serve with Roti/Naan or Rice.

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Archana Potdar

Wednesday 13th of June 2018

Wow the picture is so delicious I want to get the dish off the screen. great share Renu.

Poonam Bachhav

Monday 11th of June 2018

The chana madra curry looks very inviting. Perfect comfort treat with rice or chapati !

Priya Suresh

Sunday 10th of June 2018

Channa MAdra looks absolutely delicious and very comforting. Prefect dish to serve with rice or rotis.

priya satheesh

Sunday 10th of June 2018

Delicious and tasty curry to serve with Roti. Yummy !

jayashree

Monday 4th of June 2018

This is something different, I need to try this one. I think it tastes good with rice too.