Channa masala in coriander gravy

I wanted to make channa a little different from our usual tomato/onion gravy. Also I wanted to avoid dry powders and wanted to make it with the basic things available in our kitchen. This is my daughter's favourite school lunch with bread toast!

Ingredients

For the gravy

Fresh Coriander - 2 handfuls
Green chillies-2
Red chillies-2
Cloves-2
Cinnamon-2
Cardamom-2
Dhania (coriander seeds) -1 tablespoon

Soaked channa-(white/black) -

1 1/2 cups(approximately 150gms) Soak overnight(apprx. 8 hours) 

Tomato-1small

Onion-1 small

Ginger-1/2 an inch

Teapowder-1 teaspoon

Amchoor powder-1 teaspoon(if you have fresh mango or dried mango then well and good.Use it)

Procedure

1. Pressure cook the boiled channa with salt. Take a muslin cloth , tie the tea powder and amchoor powder, drop it in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook until the channa is soft.
This method of cooking channa is optional. If you don't feel like trying this out, pressure cook channa as usual.You can drop a tea bag if you have at home..also it's only for giving a nice brown colour. Also adding amchur powder at this stage is just a trial..Adding masalas at different stages gives a different taste.If you are used adding amchoor along with the onion/tomatoes, please follow your usual procedure.

2. You can see that channa is soft and also it has retained the colour of tea and amchoor powder. Throw away the powder and set aside the boiled channa.

3. In a small kadai take a teaspoon of ghee/oil, saute the green chilly, red chilly, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and coriander seeds.

4. Make a paste of the above with fresh coriander and chop the onion and tomato finely. Either grate the ginger or make ginger juliennes.

 5.In a kadai add a tablespoon of oil, add jeera. Fry the onions until they are golden brown and cook the tomatoes, ginger juliennes/grated ginger after that.

 6. Add the coriander/masala paste. Remember we have already added salt to channa while boiling.So add a little salt at this stage.Simmer and cook until the oil separates.

7. Slightly mash the channa(I used our traditional "Mathu". You can just use your ladle.Don't blend with hand mixer or blender)

8.Add the channa to the kadai.Simmer and cook for 5 more minutes.

 9. Serve it with bread or chappathi. I usually serve this with bread with raw onions.