Chole -Palak Curry.

This is one of the stock north indian dishes and a comparatively easy one to cook too. A good place for a beginner to start. As with the other classic and simple dishes, this one is very mouldable. I have personally seen at least 5 variants of this basic dish. Ingredients: 1cup of chole (chickpeas) 2 cups of chopped spinach(palak) 2 medium sized tomatoes 1/2 piece of ginger 1 tspn jeera 1 tspn corriander powder 1/2 tspn turmeric powder 2 green chillies 1/2 tspn red chilli powder 1/2 tspn garam masala powder 1/4tspn hing Oil Salt. Procedure: Soak the chickpeas 2-3 hrs and then pressure cook it and set aside. Blend tomato, green chilli and ginger in a mixer making a paste by adding very little water. Now in a pan, add oil, once the oil is heated add jeera, hing, turmeric powder and then add the above ground paste along with corriander powder,chilli powder and cook for 5 mins. Once this mixture starts leaving the edges, add the chopped spinach. Add salt & 1/2 cup water and boil it for 5-10 mins. In the end add chickpeas and cook for few more mins, now add garam masala and cook for few more mins. The chickpeas, because of their consistency will absorb the masala and would turn nice and soft. The curry should be boiled and and hand stirred till it gets a puree type consistency. This makes it easy to eat with the rotis. Garnish with a sprinkling of coriander leaves, serve hot with roti or naan and you are ready to go.