Channa Madra- Himachal Pradesh

Today we move on to Himachal Prasdesh for our Indian Food Odyssey. It is a state in the Northern India and it shares it boundaries with Jammu Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttrakand and Nepal. The food habit is very much similar to other north Indian states. The recipe I selected for this state is the channa madra, which is a creamy gravy  made with rice flour and white channa. But it was so tough to get a good recipe online. The same recipe features in so many sites and I was in doubt about the authenticity. One fine day, I followed a recipe from a site. In the ingredients section, 1/4 cup of rice was given. It needed to be soaked and made in to a paste which is then added to thicken the gravy. I was in doubt while adding this paste and it turned into a mushy pasty gravy. I intended to make it for 3 and ended with a pot full. No one wanted to eat it and it all went to garbage. I was really sad and was searching for some other recipe. And finally saw another version of channa madra and it used almonds for thickening. So after a month, I tried it again and this time it turned out good. Though the original recipe didn't have chilly powder, I added it to suit my family's taste. The combination of curd and chole created a unique flavour and I haven't com across this flavour so far. Even after a month of preparing, I can remember that flavour. Next time I will be making some other changes to suit our taste. I served it with rice and it was a mild and good combination.



Recipe Source: Food For Life
Ingredients:
Curd-1 cup
Chole/ Chickpeas-1 cup
Almonds-10-12
Black Cardamom-2
Cloves-2
Bay Leaf-1
Cinnamon-1
Ginger Powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp
Salt-to taste
Red Chilly powder-2 tsp (Optional - not part of the original recipe)
Coriander Powder-1 tsp
Water-1 cup
Ghee-2 tbs

Procedure:
1. Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook until tender the next day.
2. Drain and reserve water.
3. Blanch almonds, remove skin and grind it along with curd.
4. Heat ghee and add the whole spices.
5. Add in the spice powders and saute for a minute.
6. Switch off flame and allow it to cool down.
7. Now add the curd mixture and stir it until incorporated.
8. Put the pan back on flame and keep on stirring to avoid the curdling of the curd mixture.
9. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes on low flame and keep on stirring.
10. Now add the chickpeas and salt. Adjust consistency using the water from the boiled chickpeas.
11. Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
12. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot along with rice.







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