Channa Madra is a very popular and flavourful, mildly sweet and spicy yoghurt based curry from the hills of Himachal Pradesh. I have used standard measuring cup here. 1 cup=250 ml
2 cups boiled Channa (garbanzo beans)1 cup channa soaked overnight, pressure cooked and drained
1 cup cashew curd
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 black cardamom
4 cloves
½ tsp fennel seedssaunf / sombu
1 bay leaf
½ tsp peppercorns I had white pepper, so added it
2 cardamoms
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp asafoetida
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp raisins
salt to taste
Instructions
Soak 1 cup chickpeas / channa / chole overnight, pressure cook with just enough salt, drain and keep. Yields almost 2 cups after cooking. Reserve the drained water.
Crush both the cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle to a coarse powder.
Heat oil in a pan
Add cumin seeds & bay leaf.
Add asafoetida, red chilli powder, coriander powder, crushed spices and raisins and sauté for few seconds. Make sure the spices do not burn.
Reduce flame to minimum possible and add the curd and keep stirring continuously for 5 to 10 minutes.
Once the curd is cooked well and leaves the sides of the pan, add the cooked channa.
Adjust the salt and spices and cook covered for 10 more minutes in low flame. Add the drained water if need be.
I had used cashew curd that was creamy and did not curdle. However, if you are adding normal curd, make sure to cook on a low flame to not curdle the curd.
You can add nuts such as almonds to make it more richer