Celebrate Dashain with Aloo Chana, a festival favorite! This savory dish combines tender potatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, and aromatic spices. Perfect as a snack or side, it’s a comforting and flavorful addition to your Dashain feast. Let’s bring a burst of flavor to your celebrations!
Prep Time: 30 minutes (including boiling chickpeas and potatoes)
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8 as a side dish
Ingredients:
For Aloo Chana:
300g Black Chana (black chickpeas)
500g Potatoes
250g Onions (finely sliced)
200g Tomatoes (finely chopped)
2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste (5 cloves garlic + 1 inch ginger blend)
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (optional)
2 Bay leaves
2 tbsp Mustard oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
6-7 Whole dried red chilies
Salt to taste
Chopped spring coriander for garnish
To Pressure Cook Chana:
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 Bay leaves
Water (hot or cold)
To Boil Potatoes:
½ tsp salt
Water (hot or cold)
For Spice Powder Blend:
1 small Cinnamon stick
5 Cloves
5 Green cardamom pods
1 tsp Cumin seeds
5-6 Dried red chilies
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Fennel seeds
½ tsp Black pepper
A small piece of Mace
Instructions:
Cook the Chickpeas:
Put the black chickpeas in a large bowl, pour enough water and soak them overnight (or for 6-8 hours).
Drain the Chickpeas soaked water and rinse it thoroughly with cleaned water.
Pressure cook the chickpeas with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oil, and bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes in high heat and reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5-6 whistles or until soft. Transfer the cooked chickpeas onto a plate. Set aside.
Boil the Potatoes:
Boil the whole potatoes with ½ tsp salt in water until they are soft but firm (do not overcook). After cooling it down, peel and cut them into bite size cubes. Set aside.
Prepare the Spice Powder Blend:
Dry roast the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, dried red chilies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black pepper, and mace in a pan until aromatic.
Let them cool, then grind into a fine powder using a spice grinder. Set aside.
Make the Aloo Chana:
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaves, and whole dried red chilies. Let them splutter then remove the fried chilies. Set aside.
Add chopped onions and sauté until golden brown.
Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw aroma disappears.
Add Kashmiri chili powder (optional) and turmeric powder. Stir everything together for 10 seconds. If it’s too dry, add a ladle of the chickpea cooked broth and continue cooking until the oil separates from the spices.
Now, add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they soften and release their juices and also separate the oil .
Then, add the boiled chickpeas and stir to coat them with the spice mixture.
Once the chickpeas are evenly coated, add the boiled potatoes and gently combine everything.
Sprinkle the spice powder blend over the mixture that we’ve made earlier. If you prefer a milder spice flavor, use only half of the spice blend. Combine them well. if needed and if it’s too dry, then add 2 ladles of chickpea broth to keep it moist. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, allowing the flavors to meld together.
Add the fried dried chilies back in and sprinkle some chopped spring coriander. Stir everything one last time, adjusting salt and spices to your taste.
Garnish and Serve:
Garnish with chopped spring coriander and serve hot as a flavorful side dish for your Dashain feast. Enjoy!
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