Indulgence: Channa Batthura

If you’re Indian, you’ve sure as hell had this delicious treat at any of the numerous chaat places strewn across our fabulous country or at one of the numerous Indian restaurants that fulfill our needs when we our out of the country. But if you’re not Indian, then you’ve missed out on something BIG if you’ve not had this yet. Ok, without further ado, presenting one of the titans of the Indian chaat world - Channa Batthura.

Ah… bliss.. Now instead of flaunting my own “skill”, let me give the credit for the batthura (the fluffy soft yet crisp Indian bread) to where it’s due. It was Vahchef’s recipe. As for the channa/chole, it was my own improvisation. And the combination is simply perfect. If you want to taste the channa for yourself, here’s what you need -

Ingredients	Quantity
Chole/Channa/Chickpeas	If using fresh, it needs to be soaked for about 6-8hrs or overnight. If using canned, use one small can (for 2-3 persons). Make sure to wash the chickpeas thoroughly in water (it’ll bubble and foam and you want the water to run clear after washing).
Onions	2 medium-large, finely chopped for the gravy and 1 small in ringlets for the side garnish.
Tomato paste	2 tablespoons
Green chilli	1 large, slit in 1” piece
Ginger garlic paste	Make afresh if possible totaling to 1 tablespoon or use the store-bought paste of the equivalent quantity.
Lemon juice	1 teaspoon
Channa masala	2 tablespoons
Salt	to taste
Oil	1 tablespoon
For seasoning	1/2 teaspoon jeera 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds A pinch of turmeric
For garnishing	1/4 piece of lemon, a few ringlets of fresh onion and a sprig of fresh coriander.

And how?

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the 1 tbsp of oil till it’s hot.

2. Sputter mustard seeds and jeera seeds in the hot oil. Lower the heat a little and add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Keep stirring to avoid the burning of any ingredient.

3. Once the garlic turned golden brown and the ginger has cooked, add the onions. Allow them to bind with all the other ingredients and go ahead and add the required amount of salt to make sure that the onion releases its own juices.

4. Once the onions have become translucent bordering on browning, add the tomato paste. The tomatoes/tomato paste needs to cook very well such that it starts separating from the oil. The raw taste of tomatoes is awful so try to cook on a low flame for about 10-15 minutes with occasional stirring.

5. Add the channa masala to this mixture now. And that smell, that delightful wonderful smell is what makes the difference between an ordinary chickpea subji and the rocking channa masala. I attribute it to the amchur powder in it.

6. Stir in the masala and allow it to cook well. At this stage, you can add the chickpeas into the mixture and close the pan with a lid and allow it to cook well for about 10 minutes.

7. After about 10 minutes, check the subji for consistency. All the ingredients should be fairly dry and cling to the chickpeas. You can use your ladle to press down and crush a few of the chickpeas into a paste which adds to the consistency of the subji. Add the lemon juice and stir it in.

8. Finally, turn off the gas and garnish with coriander and serve the onions and lemon on the side.

Et voilà…

And like I said, the combination, one without the other is just wrong. So go ahead… make it a day of indulgence, make the batthura and enjoy this sumptous meal – channa batthura. Bon Appétit!!