Garbanzo Beans in tomato sauce

Garbanzo Beans in tomato sauce sounds fancy doesn’t it? For those of you who have been drawn to this post because of the fancy name (lol) this recipe is nothing but chole, the popular accompaniment to Bhatura. Now that I have managed to coax you to see the post, read on. Remember, I mentioned to write about chole in my earlier post on bhatura.

Between then and now there happened nothing exciting, except a strange virus string deciding to befriend me. I however stopped this unsolicited friendship with timely intervention of ginger and honey tea (lots) and some old fashioned steaming and gargling.  

Please note that this is not the traditional Punjabi chole recipe, but a quick and easy albeit tasty adaptation of it. It goes excellently with with parathas, rotis and rice.

 For 3 people (a generous bowlful each)

Ingredients

2 cups Garbanzo Beans/ Kabuli channa

2 tomatoes pureed

2 medium sized onions (finely chopped in chopper)

1 inch ginger made into paste

2 Green Chilies chopped

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

2  teaspoon garam masala powder/ Channa Masala powder

4 table spoon vegetable Oil

¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds

For Garnishing

Coriander leaves chopped

2 small Onions chopped

Lemon juice

Chat masala or rock salt

Method

Wash the beans and then in luke warm water soak the beans overnight after adding a table spoon of salt. Keep the beans in a large bowl so that it has enough space to expand. Only then will it nice and bloated to its brim. Next boil the beans in pressure cooker in 6 cups of water. I usually keep for 45 minutes at low flame with enough water. You may also microwave till they become soft. Next put 4 table spoon of oil and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start to splutter add in the chopped onions. Fry till the onions become translucent. Then put in the tomato puree and ginger paste. To save time, I grind them together in a grinder. Once the oil leaves from the sides you will know that your base sauce is ready. Then put in the boiled beans along with the water in which it has boiled. Stir in the sauce. Add garam masala and salt to taste and chopped chilies. I use a handy smasher, like the one below, to smash some of the beans. This makes the curry thicker.

Mix all the garnishing ingredients and then garnish the cooked beans and your garbanzo beans in tomato sauce is ready to be joyfully wiped out with toasted bread, roti, puri (puri chole) or bhature (chole bature). 

Could not help showing off the background!

This one also for the background. Excuse the flash light and enjoy!