chickpeas and cauliflowers in a hot gravy..

We North Indians love our chhole in any form and considering their health benefits it should be used on a regular basis . Being vegetarians mostly ( we eat our meats but it is very occasional ,  not for health reasons though , we really like our veggies and lentils ) i cook black chickpeas or these white chickpeas many a times and being an absolute chatori ( closest English word for chatori i think is ...finger licking foodie ) i need my daals and chhole n rajma different every time......want to add a vegetable almost every time as i am saved from making another vegetable side dish ....:)

What exact word do you think will fit in for chatori??

This chhole with gobi is one such dish which will please your senses with the looks ( don't go by my awful photography ) , the aroma and the taste and this is not a punjabi chhole for your information .......... a southern makeover actually........chickpeas

ingredients....

chickpeas soaked overnight 2 cups
cauliflower florets 2 cups
ginger julienne 2 tbsp
coriander greens chopped 4-5 tbs
oil 1 tsp
tamarind extract 2 tbsp or to taste 

to be ground into a powder..
sesame seeds 1 tbsp
peanuts 1 tbsp
red chillies whole 4-5
coriander seeds 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
cinnamon stick 1 inch piece
grated fresh coconut 2 tbsp
( i used 3 tbsp of coconut fiber , byproduct of making coconut oil)


roast everything separately and grind together to make a powder , or paste if you find it difficult..

preparation...

Boil the chickpeas in a pressure cooker till really soft....they should get cracked after boiling ...

Heat oil in a pan and throw in the cauliflower florets and half of the ginger julienne  ... stir fry on low heat as the oil is less.....add salt and cook covered till done but crunchy .

Add the powder and stir to mix ...no need to fry further as the powder is previously roasted , mix the boiled chickpeas , rest of the ginger julienne, chopped coriander leaves and the tamarind extract ...adjust water if you want a gravy and let it come to boil.....it's ready just after a minute of boiling ...cover for a while before serving to get the flavors develop........

Serve hot with roti or paratha or rice...........multigrain roti for us...

Take a look at the garlic plants growing happily.........