Black Chana Usal

Few years ago a friend from  http://maayboli.com gave me recipe for a Malvani recipe of 'Kalya VaTaNyache Sambaar'. (Black Peas USal) I tried it as is and later did some changes to it according to ingredients available to me. Mainly changed Kale VataNe to Kale Chane (Black Chana) due to unavailibilty of black peas in the local Indian store. I started getting few Maharashtrian specialities in these stores in recent past. 

A blogger friend shared some Malavani masala with me and I tried it in Masoor Usal. Later I found Ke. Pra. Malavani masala in local store and I tried to remember the old Malavani recipe of Kalya VaTaNyache Sambar. Not sure this is how they make it but we started loving it.

Black Chana Usal

3 cups of soaked and sprouted Black Chana

3-4 Tbsp freshly grated coconut

1-2 cloves of garlic

Small piece of ginger

2 tsp Malavi masala (Ke. Pra. Brand)

 3-4 Amsool (Dried Kokum)

small piece of Jaggery 

Salt per taste

Red Chili powder if necessary

1 small onion finely chopped

For tempering - 1 Tbsp oil, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves, asafoetida

Cook the soaked and sprouted chana in pressure cooker until soft. Grind coconut, garlic and ginger but not too smooth. Heat oil in a thick bottom vessel. Add  mustard andcumin seeds, curry leaves. Let it sizzle and add turmeric and asafoetida. Now add onion and roast until golden brown. Now add cooked chana cover the pot and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove the cover and add ginger-garlic-coconut paste, Malavani masala and salt. This usal is not too dry and not watery like amati or sambar. Add water if its too dry.  Now cover the pot again and let it boil. Add kokum, jaggery and chili powder if necessary. Boil it for few more minutes. Add chopped cilatro before serving. Enjoy with chapati or rice.

Tips - Soak chana overnight and remove from water. Let it airdry for about 15 minutes. Then tie it in muslin cloth and keep in warm place for at least 24 hours.  Chana sprouts nicely in warm weather but in winters its hard to get it to sprout. In that case just soak it and pressure cook until soft. 

Add salt, kokum and jaggery at the very end to get the chana cooked very well. 

This is my entry for Deepa's RCI: Konkan and it also goes to Lucy's My Legume Affair  

Here is the line up for the coming helpings of  'Legume Love Affair'!

 Please add your comments, suggestions to my original post  @ http://vadanikavalgheta.blogspot.com/2008/09/black-chana-usal.html