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Chana Masala Pulao

Tangy spicy Chana Masala Pulao, why eat chana masala and plain rice separately while you can combine those two to make the most comforting meal ever!!!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp Peanut Oil
  • 1 can Chickpeas
  • 1 cup Thinly Sliced Yellow Onions
  • 2 cup Tomato Sauce
  • 1 tsp Grated Ginger
  • 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 3 Whole Dry Red Chilis
  • 3 Cloves
  • 3 Whole Peppercorn
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Chana Masala 1½ tsp if making it kid friendly
  • 1 tbsp Garam Masala 1 tsp if making it kid friendly
  • 1 tbsp Cumin Coriander Powder dhana jiru powder
  • 1 tsp Red Chili Powder skip this if making it kid friendly
  • ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Mango Powder aamchur powder
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 3 cup Cooked Rice leftover steamed rice is preferred
  • ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro

Cucumber Raita

  • 1 cup Shredded Cucumber
  • ¾ cup Whole Milk Indian Plain Yogurt
  • ¾ cup Non fat Greek Yogurt
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a wide shallow pan.
  • Add whole spices, bay leaf and dry whole red chili peppers to the oil. Saute for a minute or until it starts to form aroma.
  • Add cumin seeds and saute until they start to turn color to deeper brown.
  • Add chopped onions, garlic and ginger along with a pinch of salt. Saute till the onions are completely translucent.
  • Add tomato sauce, mix well. Add other spices listed above, mix well and cook till it starts to simmer. Stir frequently.
  • Rinse canned chickpeas, add it to the sauce without any liquid.
  • Mix well and cook it for couple of minutes.
  • Add steamed rice, mix well gently, making sure the rice does not break or gets mushy. Leftover rice works the best for this recipe, specially al dente, not mushy rice. Taste it and add more salt/spices if needed.
  • Cover it and cook for a minute or two.
  • Garnish it with cilantro and serve it hot with side of raita!
    Chana Masala Pulao

Make Cucumber Raita

  • Squeeze out water from shredded cucumber.
  • Mix all the ingredients listed under "Cucumber Raita" along with squeezed shredded cucumber.
  • Mix everything well and keep it refrigerated until ready to serve with the Chana Masala Pulao.