Choliya - The Green Chickpeas
Tired of eating tasteless frozen green chick peas, when I saw fresh pods at the market I knew time had come that I rolled up my sleeves for some shelling action. So last night after dinner I sat comfortably in front of TV with a bag of choliya pods and started shelling them. After an hour and a big mount of empty pods I was brimming over a relatively small heap of green chick peas that I would be savoring for lunch next day. Choliya tastes entirely different and is chewy than the regular dried channa. It makes its first appearance early in summer and disappears within 3-4 weeks. Adding paneer or potatoes is a matter of personal choice and both go equally well with it.
Preparation and cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen choliya (keep frozen choliya in hot water for 10- 15 minutes)
- 1 cup paneer cubes, sautéed in oil
- 2-3 garlic pods minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2-3 cloves
- 2-3 green cardamoms
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- ¼ tsp Red pepper powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp Oil
- 2 tsp Chopped coriander for garnishing
Method:
- Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and let them cook till the aroma arises. Add cumin and let it splutter. Add garlic, ginger and green chilies and fry them for 2 minutes.
- Add onions and cook them till they turn light pink. Now add tomatoes. Cover the pan for 5-10 minutes and cook on medium heat till the mixture leaves oil on its sides.
- Add turmeric, salt, garam masala, red pepper and mix them well.
- Add the choliya with 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Now add paneer and cook covered for another 5-8 minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice or chapattis.
