Bengal Gram: 5 Kala Channa dishes that are worthy a dinner party

We all have grown up hearing the benefits of soaked black gram. Soak black gram overnight and in the morning when it becomes soft, eat a handful. But after eating it, do not overeat (overeating of soaked kala chana) because it can cause loose motion. If you are suffering from anemia then you should include black gram in your diet as it is rich in iron and helps in improving the level of hemoglobin in the body. Apart from this, vegetarian people are usually very worried about their protein intake, in such a situation, soaked black gram is the best food to replenish the protein in the body.

1. Chana Masala

To make a gram, first, soak the gram overnight or keep it soaked for at least 8 hours. After this, put the gram in the pressure cooker, add bay leaves, cardamom, salt, and water, and keep it on gas. Now add cinnamon, black cardamom, coriander seeds, cloves, mace, bay leaves, coriander, cumin, and cloves in a pan and fry. When a slight aroma starts coming from them and their color changes slightly, turn off the gas take it out in a plate, and keep it cool. When it cools down, put all this in a mixer and grind it.

After this add coriander powder, red chilli powder, and dry mango powder and mix it. Now heat oil in a pan, add oil in it, and when it gets hot, add cumin and asafetida, immediately add the ground masala which was prepared by grinding. Add a little water and let the spices cook until all the water dries up and oil starts appearing on top. As soon as the masala is cooked, immediately add gram mix it, and leave it for a while. Your black gram is ready, garnish it with green coriander.

2. Kala Chana Kabab

First of all, pour some oil into a pan, add cumin, coriander powder, chopped ginger, and green chilies, and mix it then add black gram to it and mix well. Fry the black gram a little and make it soft. When the gram is lightly fried Once it becomes soft, add garam masala, mango powder, red chilli, and salt and mix well. Add 1/4 cup water to the gram, mix it cover it, and let it cook on low flame for 2-4 minutes. Note that you have to cook it until the gram becomes slightly soft. Now turn off the gas take out the gram in a plate and keep it cool slightly. Grate the potatoes and cheese and keep them on a plate. 

Now put the grams in the mixer and grind them. Now take grated potatoes, cheese, and gram together in a vessel and mix them. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and green coriander to this mixture and mix it. Now make it into a tikki-like shape. Now add 2-3 tablespoons of ghee or oil in a pan and fry the kebabs one by one until they become golden on both sides. Your gram kebabs are ready. You can eat them with sauce or your favorite chutney.

3. Chana Chaat

First, take out the hot gram in a bowl, add boiled and chopped potatoes, onion, cucumber, tomato, salt, black salt, cumin, chaat masala, mango powder, green chili, squeezed lemon, green coriander, pomegranate seeds. Add the grains. Mix them and toss, check the seasoning. Serve hot.

4. Kala Channa Masala (Dry)

Heat oil/ghee in a pressure cooker and sprinkle cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic, and green chilies and fry until golden. Add tomatoes and fry until the cooker releases oil. Add turmeric powder, asafetida, and red chili powder, and fry. Add black gram, water, and salt as required and close the lid. Cook on high flame till 8-9 whistles. Open the lid and add garam masala powder. Garnish with green coriander and serve hot with rice or chapatti.

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5. Kala Channa Chola

To make a dried black gram, first, soak it overnight and keep it aside. Next day in the morning, drain the water from the soaked gram put it in the cooker, and add water and a little salt to it, so that the gram does not turn too black. After this, boil the gram for 5-6 whistles. After this, when the whistle comes out, keep it in a clean vessel so that the gram cools down. When the gram cools down, take out one-fourth of it and mash it lightly with your hands, so that the gram masala becomes thick. After this, turn the gas on low flame and keep the cooker.

Now put oil in the cooker and after that add one spoon cumin, half a spoon of asafetida, one and a half spoon chana masala, half a spoon of turmeric, less than half a spoon of ground red chili, one spoon of mango powder, chopped green chili and chopped ginger. After this, stir the spices and immediately add mashed gram and boiled whole gram together and mix well. After 5 minutes, add about a glass of water and salt as per taste.