" CHIKAR CHOLE " Bajias Cooking

ENGLISH TRANSLATION with RECIPE/INGREDIENTS:
Soak 2 cups of chickpeas in water (dont use tinned, doesnt have the same taste) with one heaped teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (also known as baking soda). Try to leave the bowl of soaking chickpeas in warm/sunny place.
One large or 2 medium onions in half a cup of oil.
Dry fry (no oil) or roast 1 teaspoon each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and whole black peppercorns in a pan. Crush/grind and leave to one side for later.
Add one inch of ginger, one bulb of garlic, 0.3 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon salt, just less than 1 teaspoon amchur powder (mango powder) to the onions and stir. Add the soaked chickpeas including the water which it has soaked in with baking soda to the onions.
Pressure cook chickpeas until soft.
Add the dried spices that you prepared at the beginning into the chickpeas and stir. Check chickpeas for thickness/salt to your own taste.
Finish with some chopped fresh chillies.
All of the spices/ingredients can be bought at Asian/ethnic stores that specialise in Indian and Pakistani ingredients.
Courtesy 0Hannah Begum