Gujarati Series: Chana-Bateta Curry

Chana-Bateta, or simply Chickpeas and Potatoes made in the classic Gujarati way are a wonderful accompaniment to Gujarati Kadhis.....I remember a typical Gujarati meal when all the masis and mamis (aunts) would get together at my Ba's house, the entire kitchen would be bustling with women, and us kids knew that a feast was in store for us later that day. My ba ( grandma) was in charge, of course. She would delegate one masi to make puris, the other to make Kadhi-Bhaat, my mom would often end up making this Chana-Batata...and so on...other items in the menu would include Aam raas, or Shrikhand, 3 different types of Veggies, Kachumber salad, papad-papdi, or a farsan such as bhajiyas or vadas.....those were the good old days....all the ladies would cook, the men would clean, and us kids would well,just eat! nothing for us to do except savor the royal treatment......!

Here is the recipe:

• 1.5 cups- cooked Kala Chana
• 2 medium sized potatoes- chopped
  
• 1 large tomato- chopped
  
• 1 tbsp - Besan flour
• 1 tsp - Garam Masala
  
• 1 tsp- oil, some water for a little bit of gravy
  
• Asafoetida-1/2 tsp
• 1 large- dried chili - for the tempering
• Salt, turmeric, jaggery, lemon juice, chili powder, dhani-jeera powder - for seasoning.
• 2 cloves- minced garlic to add towards the end (optional)

In a deep pan, heat some oil. Add the dried chili and asafoetida. When they sizzle, add the chopped potatoes and the tomato. Add a little bit of water and let the potato cook for around 5-7 minutes. Add the Garam masala at this point. Now add the Chanas and the besan flour. Stir really well so that the besan flour doesn't get lumpy. Add the rest of the seasonings now along with the minced garlic and have a taste. Make sure to use Jaggery for an authentic flavor, but you could substitute brown sugar or regular sugar. Add some water if you would like somewhat of a gravy with this. Cook further until done. Serve hot with Kadhi, and Phulkas for a complete meal.

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Courtesy: K's Recipe ( Hubby's Guest Post )

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