Chole

The following recipe can be classified as North Indian, but also resembles the Bengali "Ghugni".

Puree 3 cloves of garlic, 1 inch of ginger, 1 onion and 1/2 cup water. Add 1 tsp oil to a saucepan (mukudu or kadai), add 1 tsp jeelakarra seeds (cumin) and 1 bay leaf. (It's best to add just one bay leaf.) When fried, add puree, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add one can of pre-cooked chick-peas (senagalu, chana), frying until water is almost completely gone from the puree. Dry-fry for another 1 min, stirring constantly (this lets the chana absorb flavours). Add 1 chopped tomato (optional), salt to taste and 1/2 cup water. Cook until gravy is thick.

Optional garnishes (singly or in combination):

• Finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• Finely chopped raw onions
• Juice from a 1/2 to 1 lime, mixed in
  

If pre-cooked chick peas are not available, the process is longer: you have to soak chick-peas for 4-5 hours, then pressure-cook them in salt water until tender but firm.

Serve with chapattis.

Variation (Chana Chaat)

This can easily be turned into a "chaat" (quick snack) to be eaten by itself.

To the base dish, add juice from 1/2 lime, sprinkle 2 tsp tamarind-date chutney and 2 tsp coriander chutney. Mix 1 1/2 tsp yogurt with 1 1/2 tsp water until smooth and sprinkle over the dish. Next sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and finely chopped raw onions. Done!