Channa masala - Mookadalai masala

Ingredients:

Gorbanzo beans - Konda kadalai/Mookadalai - 1 cup
Onions - Vengayam - 1 no. (Medium size)
Tomatoes - Thakkali - 2 nos.
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Ginger - Inji - small quantity
Garlic - Poondu - 3 flakes
Besan flour - Kadalai mavu - 1 table spoon
Red chilly powder - Kaintha milagai thul - 1 table spoon
Coriander powder - Dhania thul - 2 table spoons
Turmeric powder - Manjal podi - 1 tea spoon
Garam masala - Masala thul - 1/2 table spoon
Curry leaves - Karuvepilai - small quantity
Corinader leaves - Kothamali - small quantity
Lemon juice - Elumichai pazham saru - few drops
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak garbanzo beans in water for about 8 to 10 hours. Then keep it in pressure cooker adding water and a pinch of salt. Keep it for 15 minutes in a medium flame. Once it is cooked keep it aside.
2. Chopp onions, smash tomatoes in a blender, make ginger-garlic paste, grind green chillies and little curry leaves.
3. Now heat oil in a pan/kadai, add asafoetida, cumin seeds, besan flour, add onions fry them well, now add green chilly paste, ginger-garlic paste, little turmeric and salt and finally smashed tomatoes and fry them for some 5 minutes.
4. Now add boiled garbanzo beans. Add red chilly powder, corinader powder, garam masala powder and mix them well. Add little salt. Add curry leaves and garnish with corinader leaves. Squeeze little lemon juice over it. You can even decorate it with raw onions and tomatoes.

Tasty channa masala is ready to be served. It can be served with chappathis or pooris. It can be served for 2 people. It requires hardly 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Garbanzo beans should not be boiled for too long time since it may get smashed. Add only little salt and little garam masala as it may spoil the entire food if we add more.

Optional: Ingredients can be added/removed. Grated/Shredded coconut can be added if desired.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbanzo_beans

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity

Voltaire