Cooking with my mother in law

I feel like my first 2 blog posts were focused on the more negative aspects of life in india, so i wanted to share something a bit more cheerful! My future mother in law is staying with us at the moment. She's an amazing lady, not the typical indian mother in law i'd heard about. For a start shes absolutely cool with Sushil marrying a gori (white girl) and us living together before marriage. I know of indian parents in the UK who won't allow their kids to date people of different castes, never mind different countries! We don't speak the same language, she speaks a little english and i speak a little hindi, but we get along really well. Well i think we do!

Anyway while she is staying im desperately trying to learn as much as i can from her in the kitchen department, so i thought i would share her recipe for channa masala with you, my favourite dish! This is a brilliant dish for vegetarians like me as its high in protein and absolutely delish! We use dried chickpeas, tinned food hasnt really caught on here, but you can use a can of chickpeas instead and skip the first step, just add them at the end with a cup or 2 of water.
I like to make this as early as possible to allow the flavours to infuse. We eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner, its very tasty and filling!

2 cups channa (dried chickpeas)
2 tbsp channa dhal
1 tbsp tea or 2 tea bag
1 tbsp oil, veg oil is fine, i like to use coconut oil if available though.
1 tbsp jeera (cumin)
1 onion
1 green chilli
2 tomatoes
1 tsp lal mirchi (red chilli powder) - you can adjust the amount according to your preference
1 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tsp dhania (coriander powder)
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp channa masala mix (available in indian supermarkets)

1.Soak channa and dhal over night in a covered bowl with double the amount of water and 1/2 tsp salt. add to a pressure cooker with water it was soaked in. Cook for 45 mins with salt and 1 spoon of tea tied in a muslin cloth (or 2 teabags). - if your channa doesnt cook well a tip is to add 1/4 tsp baking soda
2. Meanwhile fry 1 tbsp jeera until it browns and the fragrance is released
3. Add 1 chopped onion & 1 chopped green chilli and stir regularly
4. Chop 2 tomatoes and add to onion mix after 5 mins
5. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp garam masala
6. Add a little water (approx 1/2 cup) and cook on a medium flame for 10 mins, the water helps release the spices aroma and flavour
7. Add onion & tomato mix to cooked chick peas in water
8. Add 2 tsp channa masala mix And salt to taste if required
9. Simmer for 5 mins
10. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Serve with rice, rotis or battura. I like a big dollop of yogurt and a good sprinkle of fresh coriander before serving looks nice and tastes brilliant. If you liked this please comment and let me know if theres any other indian dishes i can try and tell you about!