Chole Pulao - Chickpeas Rice

The credits for this recipe has to go to my Husband. He comes up with these new ideas when he is bored of eating the same stuff again and again and I have to find a way to execute them. By the time Friday comes I'm hunting for vegetables in the refrigerator (and I'm too lazy to go grocery shopping on Fridays!). I kept asking my husband to  suggest something and he came up with this...Chole Pulao. It was an experimental recipe meant to be tried only on my sweet Hubby, but since it turned out so good I'm sharing with you all! ;) Go ahead and try it out!! This one's quick and easy..I promise!



Ingredients:

• Chole/chickpeas - 1 cup, soaked for atleast 5-6 hrs
• Basmati Rice - 2 cups, cooked (it is best if rice grains are not sticking to each other)*
• Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Tomato - 1 big, finely chopped
• Jeera/cumin seeds - 1-2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Kitchen King Masala - 2 tbsp*
• Salt - to taste
• Cilantro - to garnish
• Lemon juice - to taste
• Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp

Procedure:

• Cook the chickpeas in pressure cooker for not more than 2 whistles. We don't want the chickpeas to be too soft.
• In a frying pan/kadhai, add oil.
• Once oil has heated up, add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add turmeric and ginger-garlic paste.
• Now add onion slices and sauté for a few mins until the onions turn translucent.
• Add tomato and sauté until the raw aroma of tomato disappears.
• Add the cooked chickpeas and Kitchen King masala and mix well. Make sure you don't break the chickpeas.
• Add salt and cooked rice and mix thoroughly.
• Take off the stove and add a dash of lemon juice.
• Garish with cilantro and serve hot with raita.

*Note:

• You can cook rice in an electric cooker or microwave to make sure grains are separate.
• If cooking in pressure cooker, soak the basmati rice for 10 mins in water and then cook. Adding very little oil/ghee makes them cook separately.
• You can use any variety of rice instead of Basmati rice.
• You can use Garam Masala instead of Kitchen King Masala.

 Follow me also on my new blog address here.