Chickpeas & Cauliflower

•1½ C dried chickpeas

•5-8 C water

•4 Tbsp ghee/oil

•1 Tsp turmeric powder

•1 cauliflower cut into small florets

•½ Tsp salt

•2 inch cinnamon stick

•Seeds from 10 cardamoms

•1 Tbsp coriander powder

•1½ Tsp cumin powder

•1 Tsp chat masala

•½ Tsp yellow asafetida powder

•¼ Tsp red chili powder/cayenne

•1½ Tbsp finely grated ginger

•2 hot green chilies

•1 Tsp dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)

•1½ Tsp cumin seeds

•5 tomatoes finely chopped

•1½ Tsp salt

•½ C chopped fresh coriander leaves

•2 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed

1.Wash and rinse the chickpeas. Soak them in water for 6-8 hours.

2.In a saucepan combine the soaked chickpeas and 8 cups of water, bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 1 hour or until the chickpeas are soft but not broken. You can alternatively pressure cook the chickpeas with 5 cups of water until soft. Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid for cooking.

3.In a pan, heat 2 Tbsp of ghee/oil, add the turmeric powder and quickly add the cauliflower florets. Stir fry and add the salt. Cook the cauliflower until half cooked. Remove from heat and keep aside.

4.Grind the cinnamon and cardamom to a coarse powder. In a small mixing bowl, combine the freshly prepared spice powder, and other spices starting from coriander powder to pomegranate seeds with a few spoonfuls of water to make a moist paste.

5.Heat the remaining ghee/oil in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add the cumin seeds, when they darken a few shades, add the spice paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook over low heat until ghee/oil oozes out from spice paste. Add half of the coriander leaves, cooked chickpeas and the reserved liquid. Cook covered for 20 minutes over low heat. Add the mashed potatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes. Add the cauliflower pieces and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with the remaining coriander leaves.

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