By Himachali Chana Paneer Madra recipe a thick and creamy yogurt based chickpeas gravy is a popular delicacy from Himachal Pradesh. Chana Madra is mild and delicate flavoured chickpeas cooked in aromatic yogurt sauce. Madra is extremely simple to make and absolutely delicious to eat.
Is there something called LOVE AT FIRST BITE!
Then I am in Love!!
“Chana Madra”, where was this madra my entire life. All thanks to our on going Instagram initiative #tasteofindianstates, that I have come across so many unknown amazing dishes and flavours from different parts of India.
Here is another amaing Himachali delicacy CHANA MADRA. It is so delicious that my non chana lover husband went for seconds and 3rds and relished each and every morsel. Whattt!!!
Chickpeas cooked in spiced thick and luscious yogurt sauce. I am absolutely certain that further on I will be making chana this way only.
Naah!!
Just kidding. I love my spicy chana masala too. But seriously guys this Himachali Chana Paneer Madra tastes out of the world. How did I not know about this dish all this years.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!.. Right!
Chana madra is very easy and pretty quick to make (apart from soaking the chickpea overnight). And there are no onions, no tomatoes, no ginger, no garlic. No cutting, no peeling. Yayyyyy!!
Just simple aromatic spices and yogurt. Madra is one of the main dishes that is peepared and served in Himachali DHAM.
DHAM is basically a regional and traditional food feast that is prepared during festivals, marriages or any special occasions in Himachal Pradesh.
How to make Himachali Chana Paneer Madra?
Let’s see how to make this. Firstly, soak the chana over night and then pressure cooking it until soft but still retains the shape. You can also use canned chana/chickpeas.
Secondly, heat mustard oil and add bay leaf, dried chillies and spices. Toss in the boiled chickpeas and sauté. Lower the heat. Slowly pour the yogurt on the Chickpeas. Stir constantly. Or the yogurt may curdle.(if you are worried about the yogurt curdling, then whisk in 2 tsps of besan/chickpea flour or maida/plain flour with the yogurt.
Add all the spice powder and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Now add the panner and raisins, mix and continue cooking until the oil floats on top. Add nutmeg powder, mace powder the rice flour mixture and ghee and cook for further 2 mins. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice or naan.
Here is another delicious Chickpeas recipe that I have shared earliar.
Himachali Chana Paneer Madra | How to make Chana Madra
Equipment
- pressure cooker
- Thick bottomed pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpeas (250gms) soaked over night or at least 8 hours
- 1 1/2 cup Yogurt
- 1 tsp Gram flour/besan or maida/plain flour (this is optional. mix with the yogurt to avoid curdling)
- 125 gma Paneer (cottage cheese) cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp Raisins (optional)
- 1-2 Bay leaves
- 1-2 Dried red chillies
- 1 large blach cardamom
- 4-5 Green cardamoms
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Hing (asafoetida)
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Rice flour mixed with 2-3 tbsp of water and keep it aside
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
- 1/4 tsp Mace powder
- 2-3 tbsp Ghee (to add it in the end)
- 1-2 tsp Sugar
- Salt as per taste
- 2 tbsp Mustard oil /ghee/veg/oil (for cooking the madra)
- Fresh coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Firstly pressure cook the soaked chickpeas for 2 to 3 whistles or until the chickpeas are cooked through but still retains the shape. Drain the chickpeas and keep 1 cup of the chickpeas stock water for later use.
- Heat mustard oil until smoking point and then reduce the heat to low. Temper the oil with bay leaves, dried red chilli, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and hing and sauté for 1 minutes until you can smell the aroma of the spices.
- Now add the boiled chickpeas and mix everything well and sauté for a minute or 2. Reduce the flame to the lowest.
- Slowly add the yogurt to the chickpeas, stirring continuously so the the yogurt doesn't curdle. (If you are worried about the yogurt getting curdled, simply whisk in 2 tsp gramflour/besan or maida/plain flour to the yogurt).Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and mix everything well.
- Cook on medium to low heat stirring frequently for 8-10 minutes.
- Now add the paneer pieces and raisins and mix. Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add the rice powder paste and the nutmeg and mace powder and mix everything well. the madra will get very thick at this point. You can slightly thin it out by add 1/2 to 1 cup or the chickpeas stock. bring it to a boil and cook for 2-3 mins more.
- Finally add 2 tbsp of ghee and give it a mix.
- Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and take it off the heat. Serve it with naan or rice.
Notes
I hope you enjoy this delicious Himachali Chana Paneer Madra recipe as much as we do!
If you have tried this recipe, I would love to see your wonderful creation. simply click a picture and tag me @gastronomicbong or #gastronomicbong on Instagram.
Bon Appetit!!!
priya
August 3, 2019I love the edition of paneer in madra here. looks divine arpita.
Arpita@Gastronomic Bong
May 21, 2020Thank you so much Priya ♥