Channa Masala (Chickpeas Curry)

I have always preferred the "Potato Masala" for my Pooris (a typical Pondicherrian am I:) until I tasted some of the delicious Punjabi food during my trip to the northern states of India, a couple of years back and believe me, that definitely made a remarkable expansion in my menus, making me more gastronome than ever.........well, this is one nice substitute for the "Potato Masala". I'm having a great time enjoying my holidays, hope you're having a nice time too!
Ingredients:
2 cups chickpeas
salt
2 onions
2 tomatoes
1 tbsp minced ginger and garlic
1 tsp chilly powder
salt
a pinch of black salt
1/2 tsp dry mango powder
5 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

To roast and powder:
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 clove
2 peppercorns
2 cardamoms
1 tsp cumin seeds

Method:

Wash the chickpeas thoroughly and soak it overnight in a big casserole of water.

Remove and pressure cook in enough water(maybe double the quantity of chickpeas) and some salt until 3 whistles. Strain and keep aside.
Take 3 tbsp of the cooked chick peas and mash them to make a rough paste.

Chop the onions and the tomatoes very finely.
Grate the ginger and garlic.
Dry roast the whole spices and powder them.


Heat oil in a vessel, splutter the cumin seeds and add the onions, fry until slightly brown.
Reduce the flame to medium and add the grated ginger and garlic and fry until the raw smell disappears. Add the chilly powder,mango powder and the salts followed by the roasted powdered masalas and stir-fry. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until well mashed.
Add the chickpeas and the pasted chickpeas mixture; Add some water and correct the salt if necessary.

Cook closed for another 15 minutes. You may like to garnish with some julienned ginger or with some coriander leaves/shallots/some fresh tomatoes or maybe a green chilly! Enjoy!