Mushroom Channa Masala/Mushroom Chickpeas Gravy

Mushroom Channa Masala often makes special appearance at Amma’s house as it is one of her popular recipe. The recipe always found its way in the Sunday menu during my school and college days. After that the tradition of having brunch on Sundays slowly changed as we became guests, visiting India now and then and every meal and mealtime with the family became special.

Now being back to the pavilion and having a full time job, the soul asks for something special and relaxed on Sundays which means the special Sunday brunch menus have aligned back and both Appa and Amma are more than happy to prioritize my preferences and prepare something DELICIOUS! After a long long time, after being hardly bitten by the guilt bug for not picking up the camera, today i decided to c̶o̶o̶k̶ oh no! Click only, when my mom took care of the rest. So here is the super delish gravy recipe straight from my mom’s kitchen!

Ingredients:

White button Mushrooms-2 cups, cleaned and chopped

Channa/Chickpeas-1 cup, soaked for 8 hours and boiled,

Onions-3, finely chopped

Tomatoes-3, finely chopped

Red chilli powder-1 & ½ tsp

Salt- as needed

Coriander leaves- to garnish

 To Roast & Grind:

Shallots/Pearl onions-1 cup, peeled

Cinnamon-1 inch stick

Cloves-3

Cardamom-2

Stone flower/Kal Paasi- 1 tsp

Coriander leaves-1/2 cup with stalks

Coconut-1/2 cup, grated

 Roast all the ingredients with a tsp of oil, cool down and grind it to a smooth paste by adding a little water.

How It Happened:

1. Heat oil in a kadai, add onions and when they turn glossy add the tomatoes and let it cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.

2. Add the chopped mushrooms and mix well.

3. Sprinkle the salt and red chilli powder and mix once. Add 1 cup of water and boiled chickpeas and let it cook for 10 minutes in medium flame until the raw smell goes off the mushroom is cooked.

4. Add the ground coconut paste and let it cook for 5-7 minutes in simmer and when it starts boiling switch off the flame.

5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Phulkas/rotis.

 Notes:

* Adjust the spice level according to your taste preferences.

* Coriander leaves are the main flavouring agents. So do not reduce the quantity, also their stalks have maximum flavours. So wash them well and add while roasting.

* Use shallots for best results. But they can be replaced by onions as well.

* You can reduce the quantity of coconut or increase it to adjust the thickness, also add water accordingly.

* If you have chickpea boiled water do not waste it; add it to the gravy. They are rich in nutrients and also they give a body to the gravy.

* You can skip mushrooms and make it with chickpeas alone or the vice versa as well.