When I think about chole/ chickpeas, I think of a nice spicy, tangy and a robust curry. I like it when the chickpeas are really soft (almost mushy) and there is an amazing curry as a sauce thickly coating it. That’s the style usually available in roadside Dhabas (restaurants) and other eateries. And that’s the style I’ve always had it in. There is a creaminess in the cooked chickpeas that goes well with a spicy curry base I guess. Also, chickpeas are made so often and in so many variations in the Indian cuisine, that it’s almost a staple in most Indian homes. However, I never thought of it as a ‘Shahi’ dish. ‘Shahi’ being royal or rich or even sophisticated. It’s our day to day meal ingredient! There is shahi chicken, shahi paneer and shahi other things, but I’ve never thought of this humble ingredient as anything ‘shahi’. So, all in all, I was pleasantly surprised making this dish, because in my opinion, this humble dish beautifully transforms into a mouth-watering dish and can certainly hold its own to any other shahi dish out there.

In this dish, I have used cashew cream instead of the fresh cream usually used in shahi dishes. This dish goes down quite a treat as it has a unique nutty and rich flavour and is also flexible in a way that you can adapt it by using fresh cream or coconut milk for adding the creaminess. Its pairs well as a side dish to a full Indian meal or as a main dish to be had with Naan/Roti or any rice dish like steamed rice/pilaf etc.

To prepare the chickpeas:

1.Soak 1 cup of chickpeas in a big bowl with ample amount of water overnight.

Note: chickpeas grows almost double in size when soaked in water overnight.

2. In a deep bottomed pan, add the chickpeas, a tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of baking soda and boil for 12-15 minutes or until the chickpeas are nice and soft. Now, the chickpeas are ready to use. (if you are using a pressure cooker, 2 whistles on medium heat is usually enough, cook longer if required)

If using chickpeas from a can, the above steps are not necessary and can directly be used in the curry.

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Prep time: 10 minutes

You will need:

1. Chickpeas-2 cups, pre-boiled
2. Onion- 1 large, chopped finely
3. Tomato- 1 large, pureed in a blender
4. Cashews- 10-15 nos
5. Hot water – ½ cup, warm (can use coconut/almond milk)
6. Ginger- 1 inch
7. Garlic- 6-7 cloves
8. Green Cardamom- 2-3 nos
9. Black cardamom- 1 nos
10. Bay leaf- 1 nos
11. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
12. Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
13. Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
14. Coriander powder- 1 tsp
15. Green coriander leaves- a handful, finely chopped
16. Green chillies- 2 nos, slit in between
17. Garam masala powder- ½ tsp
18. Oil- 2-3 tbsp
19. Salt- to taste

Preparation:

1. First soak the cashews in water or warm coconut/almond milk for 5 minutes and later blend it into a thick paste. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized saucepan, add the oil and fry the onions until they are golden brown. This will take about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
3. Add the cumin seeds, green cardamom, black cardamoms, bay leaf, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Now, add the tomato puree, turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder and salt and cook covered for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens and there is a bit of oil oozing from the sides. The onion-tomato sauce shouldn’t taste raw.
5. At this point, add the pre-boiled chickpeas into the sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chickpeas are soft and slightly mushy. If you like, mash some chickpeas for extra thickness to the gravy.
6. Add the cashew cream at this point and mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. You can add some water to dilute the thickness of the gravy if needed. Check for seasoning and remove from heat.
7. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander, slit green chillies, sliced ginger and a sprinkle of garam masala. Done!

Serve this warm with accompaniment of choice and enjoy!

If you choose to use fresh cream or coconut milk, the taste will differ, but overall the curry will still be beautifully spiced and very creamy in texture.

Please try this dish and leave your feedback!

Thanks,

Susan

P.S: The chickpeas mentioned in this post is the large white chickpeas or garbanzo beans, commonly known as ‘kabuli chana’ in Hindi.