Another one of those lovely lentils which can be store forever, and are literally storehouses of nutrition. White chick peas or kabuli channa as it is popularly known in all parts of india and even pakistan and bangladesh, is a favourite of all agegroups in some form or other.

The wonder of this member of the pea family is that is can be eaten in so many forms even months after it has been dehydrated and dried and marketed as a lentil. Once it has been soaked and pressurecooked, the possibilities with this ingredient are endless. It can be made fried, steamed, flattened, mashed, sauteed, or even baked!!

This channa goes very well with both bland as well as fiery hot masalas, and even tingling salads.

A note on how to cook this lentil correctly: Soak the channa in plenty of water for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight. Wash and pressurecook in good amount of water, since the channa will first bloat a third it size on soaking, then double that on pressurecooking. So it is imperative that soaking is done, and not direct pressurecooking for best results.

Pressurecook for at least 5-6 whistles, to be done. If channa has for some reason not been soaked in advance, then add a pinch of soda bicarb to the water, while pressurecooking, to aid cooking from within.

But do not make this a habit and compromise on quality. If you are making any spicy dish with the channa, like pindi, or masala channa, then add a small pouch of muslin cloth in which a tsp. of tealeaves have been tied. This will enhance the colour and flavour of the dish. You can also add a bayleaf and a stick of cinnamon, if the dish is going to be spicy. These spices can later be ground into the masala or gravy, so they are not wasted.

Though we have already covered the more popular recipes like channa bhatura, pindi channa, etc., there are many unusual recipes cooked with this wonderful ingredient, which taste absolutely delightful.

Note:
Since all recipes require the first common step of soaking and pressurecooking channa, it is assumed that the above method has been followed, and the recipes will pick up from there onwards. Also cooking time does not include time required to soak and cook channa.