Chana Masala without Onion and Garlic

Ingredients

For Potli

• Tea- 1& 1/2 teaspoon
• Cinamon Stick- 1
• Black cardamom-2
• Cloves-4

Spices to be ground to powder:

• coriander seeds: 1 tablespoon
• cumin seeds : 3 teaspoon
• pepper corns: 1/2 teaspoon ajwain: 1 pinch
• red chillies: 3-4
• green cardamom-2
• Cloves-4

Other Ingredients

• Kale Chane - 200gms
• bay leaves 3-4
• garam masala powder: 1/2 teaspoon
• kasoori methi: dry fenugreek leaves
• 2 Tomatoes pureed
• 2 tsp ginger chilli paste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 3 tsp chana masala
• tamarind: 1 medium size ball ( soaked and puree extracted)
• oil: 1 and 1/2 tablespoon

Method

• Soak kala chana overnight in plenty of water. wash them, combine all the ingredients of potli in a muslin cloth, tie it properly. Slightly crush the potli, so that the aroma of spices mix well with chole, if not using potli, use tea bags instead but then you have to manually discard the other spices after boiling chole, adding these spices while boiling gives a nice aroma to chole.
• Add salt, potli, water and chole in a pressure cooker boil for 3-4 whistles on high flame and then reduce the flame and let them cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, as they are soaked overnight they will be cooked properly. Switch off the flame let it cool completely, check them whether they are tender else you have to cook till one more whistle.
• Dry roast all the ingredients of masala powder on a low flame, let them cool completely and grind to fine powder.
• Now heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai , add bay leaves to it, now add spice powder roast , kasoori methi for a minute, add tomatoes and ginger green chilli paste, bhuno till oil separates.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and chana masala powder.Bhuno for 1 minute.
• Add black chana and mix it. Check salt if required add according to your taste, slightly mash some chana , it will help to thicken the gravy, add 1/2 cup of water from the boiled water in the cooker and bring it to boil, as it starts boiling, simmer the flame, cover the lid and cook for another 5-7 minutes finally add strained tamarind puree to it, boil it for 3-4 minutes,simmer the flame for 2 minutes and cover the lid so that oil seprates from chana
• Add garam masala powder to it. Heat tawa, dry roast kasori methi on it and add it to chana.