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Chana Madra (Himachali Chickpeas in Yogurt Gravy)

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Illustrative stock photos, not this exact recipe. Photo credits are at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients in this recipe

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Madra is a famous dish of Himachal Pradesh, traditionally served at the dham, the festive meal cooked by hereditary cooks called botis. Chickpeas are simmered in a gravy of yogurt cooked slowly with ghee and whole spices until thick and creamy. Unlike many curries, it has no onion or tomato base in the classic dham style. Himachali food is often described as hearty mountain cooking, built on wheat, rice, lentils, yogurt, ghee and warming whole spices, with a feasting tradition called dham. Read more in Indian regional cuisines.

It is served with rice, as part of a leaf-plate meal.

Recipe label: Based on traditional technique. Photo: illustrative stock photo, not the finished dish from this exact recipe. Regional recipes vary by family and village.

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Photo credits: Photo 1: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels; Photo 2: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels; Photo 3: Filipp Romanovski on Pexels. Free stock photos, used under the Unsplash or Pexels license and shown here as illustrations only.

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Rest Time 480 mins
Total Time 9 hrs 15 mins
Cooking Method:
Cuisine: ,
Courses: ,
Servings: 4
Description
Chana madra: a Himachali dham specialty of chickpeas slowly simmered in a spiced yogurt and ghee gravy flavored with fennel, cardamom and cloves.
Ingredients
    For the madra
  • 1 cup dried chickpeas (about 200 g, soaked overnight and cooked until tender, or 2 cups canned)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (about 240 g, whisked smooth with 1 tsp gram flour)
  • 3 tbsp ghee
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick (about 2.5 cm)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp fennel powder
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 1 cup water (about 240 ml, from cooking the chickpeas)
Instructions
  1. 1
    Cook the soaked chickpeas until very soft, in a pressure cooker for about 6 whistles, or simmer for 1 hour. Keep some of the cooking water.
  2. 2
    Whisk the yogurt with a spoonful of gram flour so it does not curdle.
  3. 3
    Heat the ghee in a heavy pan and add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
  4. 4
    Lower the heat, add the yogurt and stir continuously for 10 to 12 minutes until it thickens and the ghee begins to separate.
  5. 5
    Add the fennel, ginger, turmeric and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes.
  6. 6
    Add the chickpeas, salt and about 1 cup of the cooking water. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes until the gravy is thick and creamy.
  7. 7
    Serve hot with rice.
Note
Stir constantly while cooking the yogurt so it does not split. Follow your pressure cooker's instructions. Contains milk (yogurt, ghee). Vegetarian and gluten-free. Tastes better the next day; keeps 3 days in the refrigerator.
Read it online: https://culinary-artisan.com/recipe/chana-madra/