Sprouted Chole Masala
A high-protein sprouted chickpea take on the traditional saucy masala dish that is a staple meal in most Indian homes. Try this deliciously flavourful recipe
Ingredients
- 100 g sprouted chickpeas that have been blanched
Masala Base
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp garlic grated
- 1 green chilli chopped
Masala Spices (whole)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 stick of cinnamon 3 inches
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green cardamon crushed (optional)
Masala Spices (powder)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder optional
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp amchur dry mango powder
- 1/2 tsp pink salt or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp anardana dry pomegranate seed powder
Garnishes
- 1 tsp ghee
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi dried fenugreek leaves
Condiments (Sirke Wale Pyaaz, Picked Onions)
- 1/2 white onion sliced
- 1/2 lemon juice squeezed
- 50 g fresh coriander leaves leaves chopped and stems chopped separately, root cut off
Instructions
Soaking Chickpeas In Tea
- place the sprouted blanched chickpeas in 2 cups of water mixed with 1 tbsp of black tea. You can use a metal tea diffuser or a muslin cloth to place the tea leaves in the water to avoid the micoplastics in the store-bought tea bag.
- let this soak for the duration of your prep
Prepping The Tomatoes and Onions
- next, get a small pot and pour water to cover 3/4 of the pot, bring to boil
- remove the calyx and peduncle from the tomato, and turn it over
- using a sharp knife, slice a large cross 'X' mark on the bottom of the tomato
- place the cross marked tomatoes in the boiling water and remove until you see the skin starting to shrivel
- once the skin appears to be peeling off the tomato, remove from the boiling water and place on a medium sized dish to cool down
- once it is cool, peel the skin off the tomatoes and then grate until it reaches a smooth puree form. You can use a blender for this as well if you like.
- cut the onions into small dices. You can also puree the onions as well if you like.
Cooking The Chole
- in a large cast iron kadai or casserole, heat up 1 tbsp of high-smoke point oil (avocado oil)
- fry the whole masala spices (see above) until fragrant
- add the onions, and fry until it is brown and caramalised
- add the tomato puree and stir until the the water from the tomatoes have evaporated
- add the ginger, garlic and chillies. Stir it in until it is fragrant
- once the mixture has thickened, add the powdered masalas (see above)
- combine it together with the mixture so it is completely mixed in
- pour in the chickpeas with the tea water** see notes if you would like to add the chickpeas later to retain nutritional value of sprouts. Add the water bit-by-bit, as you don't want to flood the masala and dilute it. You may only need half of that, depending on the cookware you are using and how high your flame is.
- gently stir the mixture together until fully combined
- cover the kadai or casserole with the lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes
- once the mixture has thickened, taste test to see if this needs more salt.
Garnishing
- Finish off the dish with the garnishes. Add the kasoori methi first by crushing it in the palm of your hand and sprinkling it over the dish. Then before serving, place the ghee on the top.
- Pair this with the pickled onions, bread or bhatura (fried bread) and enjoy!
Notes
Retaining the nutritional value of the sprouts:
You can add the sprouted chickpeas later or at the last stage when the tea water has been combined into the mixture. This helps retain the nutritional value of the sprouts, as they lose nutritional value when heated.