This is my take on this dish!

Whole Spices (bought whole and used whole)

1 tsp of Black Mustard Seeds
2 Green Cardamom Seeds
2 Pieces of Cinnamon Stick (2 inches long)
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tsp of Dried Methi Leaves (Fenugreek) soaked in a little water

Ground Spices (bought whole and ground finely in coffee grinder)

2 heaped tsp of Cumin Seeds
4 heaped tsp of Coriander Seeds
6 Black Pepper Corns

Ground Spices (bought ground)

½ Tsp of Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
¼ Tsp of Heeng Powder (Asafoetida)
1 Tsp of Red Chilli Powder

Ingredients

1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
4 Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1” Piece of Ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
2 Large Tomatoes (skinned and chopped)
1 Large Bottle of Chickpeas in natural stock (Not drained)
2 tsp of Tomato Puree
½ tsp of Tamarind Paste (or 1 tbsp of Lemon Juice)
Olive Oil
½ Tsp of Salt (add more to taste)
Handful of Fresh Coriander leaves (chopped)

Method

Place the whole spices (mustard seeds, cardamom seeds, cinnamon and bay leaves) in a saucer and add to those the already ready ground spices (heeng powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder) and the salt.

Place the whole spices to be ground (cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper corns) in a coffee grinder, reduce to a finely ground powder and add to the other spices in the saucer.

Place a generous amount of oil in the pan on a gentle heat. Add the onions and cook gently till soft. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to sauté until soft and starting to turn slightly golden. Add the spices (except the Methi Leaves) and cook them in for a further 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas including their stock and stir fry till most of the excess water is driven off. Add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato puree and the tamarind. Cover the pan and very gently simmer for ½ an hour adding a little more water if necessary. At this point you should have a rich sauce so just add the Methi Leaves and simmer for another 5 minutes, remove from the heat and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Just a follow on to the rice cooking methods… This is my fragrent rice!

Ingredients

1 Cup of Basmati Rice
½ Tsp of Salt
½ Tsp of Fennel Seeds
6 Cloves
6 Green Cardamom Seeds
½ Tsp Turmeric
3 Bay Leaves
2 Pieces of Cinnamon

Method

Place the rice in a large saucepan (which has a well fitting lid) and wash and rinse the rice 6 times or until the rinse water runs clear. This removes excess starches so the rice doesn’t stick together. Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain the rice carefully and then add 1 cup of cold water and all the other ingredients. Now bring the rice rapidly to the boil. Give the rice a quick stir to make sure it not sticking. At this point reduce the heat to very low, place the lid on the pan and leave to just simmer for 20 minutes. Do not under any circumstances remove the lid during this cooking cycle as all the steam will escape and the rice won’t cook properly. After the 20 minutes turn off the heat and leave the rice for a further 5 minutes before removing the lid and picking out the large spices (bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon). Finally fluff the rice up with a fork ready for serving.

Regards

Adrian