Tender Chickpeas in Golden Karhi Sauce

by becky
Created
From the cookbook The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (190g) whole chickpeas, sorted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cassia or bay leaf
  • 1.5-inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • 4 whole green cardamom pods
  • ½ cup (25 g) sifted chickpea flour (sifted before measuring)
  • 2.5 cup whey water or whey
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6-8 curry leaves, preferably fresh
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 dried red chili (or as desired)
  • ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 3 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Soak the chickpeas in 4 cups (1 liter) of water and the salt for 8 hours or overnight. (The salt helps the chickpeas absorb water evenly.) Drain and rinse. Place the soaked chickpeas and 3-3 ½ cups of water in a heavy 3-quart/liter saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the cassia or bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom. Reduce the heat and gently boil, partially covered, for 2-½ hours or until tender. Check occasionally to see if the water is evaporating too fast; if need be, add more. The beans should be soft but not broken down. Alternatively, cook the soaked beans in a pressure cooker at 15 pounds/8 kgs pressure for 20-25 minutes.
  2. Drain the chickpeas through a strainer, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Remove the cardamon pods, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and set aside.
  3. Place the flour in a 1 1/2-quart/liter bowl. Add enough water or whey to whisk into a smooth heavy batter. Slowly whisk in the remaining water or whey and the buttermilk, tumeric, ground coriander, salt, curry leaves, 1 T of the fresh coriander and the reserved cooking liquid until the mixture is smooth and blended.
  4. Pour the karhi into a heavy 3-quart/liter saucepan and place over moderate heat. Stir constantly unti lthe mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. When it has thickened to the consistency of a medium white sauce, add the cooked chickpeas and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Finish the dish with a fried seasoning. Combine the red chili pod and cumin seeds in a small frying pan over moderate heat. Dry-roast, shaking the pan to brown evenly until the seeds darken a shade or two. Add the ghee or butter, and when the seeds are richly browned or the butter froths, pour the seasonings into the karhi. Serve piping hot with the remaining 1T coriander.