Spicy Chana Kuruma

Chanas according to me, are messengers of  heaven.I love to have chana ,frequently.Today my Hubby gave me a challenge ,like he wanted to have a spicy chana kurma .He gave the rules as the gravy shud be colourful, thick,tangy and juicy...He told me that , if I do it as the way ,we have it in the hotels, then he will accept me as a good blogger.Hmmm ,a challenge to my blogging- Interesting .I took a oath that I shud never ever fail.As u all know me as a healthy food blogger, this challenge made me to relax some rules like ,usage of ghee.
So I planned to add plain red chilli pwdr for - color,purees of onion,tomato - for thickness ,sugar -to enhance the tangyness of the gravy.The outcome was extraordinary.My husband will never say good for any fine dish ( Errrrrrrr).He will say ok (this is his maximum appreciation).But for this dish he gave me A-class.Wow....so it means I won the challenge....Appadi, I pat it myself.With a open heart and full stomach, I am giving  u my version of chana kuruma...

Ingredients:
1.Chana                   -        1 cup
2.Onion                   -         1 (big)
3.Tomato                -          1 (big)

4.Green chillies      -          2
5.G&G paste           -          1 tsp
6.Red chilli pwdr    -          1 tsp
7.Coconut                -           3 pieces
8.Curry leaves         
9.Cilantro.
10.sugar                   -            1 tsp

For Tempering:
1.Cinnamon              -           1 inch
2.Cloves                  -            3 to 4
3.Fennel seeds          -           1 tsp
4.Oil                         -            4  tbsp
5.Ghee                       -            1 tbsp (optional)

Method:
* Wash and soak chana overnight.
* Pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
* Chop half the onion and 1 chilli.Grind the other half with the remaining chilli and coriander leaves.
* Grind tomato to a puree.
* Grind coconut with half spoon of fennel seeds.
* Take a hand ful of cooked chana and grind it into a paste. ( This will give thickness to the kurma.)
* Now take a pan,add oil, ghee and splutter with whole garam masalas.
* saute the chopped onion and slit green chilli ,sprinkling some salt.
* When onion is half cooked,dump in the grinded ( Onion-green chilli-coriander) paste.
* Saute till it oozes out oil.
* Now add tomato puree and sprinkle some salt.
* Add G&G paste and saute well.
* When the tomatoes are cooked, add turmeric pwdr,chilli pwdr and giv it a toss.
* Wait till the raw smell goes off, now add the cooked chana and mix well.
* when chana gets a blend with the masala, add grinded chana paste and giv it a mix.
* Let the curry comes to a boil , and let it thicken to some extent.
* Now pour the coconut paste and turn off the stove within 3 minutes.Adjust salt to taste.
* Sprinkle sugar and mix well  .( This gives the dish a unique taste).
* Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot chapathis,pooris,parottas.....

This dish was a super duper hit in my family.I prepared a huge amount ,aiming to have the next day,but in vain.We both emptied the bowl so quickly...ha ha ha...Happy eating..
Channa Masala