Preparing Chhole Chawal.

Hi, friends

Most of you know I live alone in Gurgaon at my place and i have to cook for my self sometimes , perhaps most of the time. For the bachelors among my age hate this job and thinks its really sweaty task to do when the food easily available in market. For me, its fun.

Yesterday, morning I waked up and decided to do some thing new that I have never done before. I thought, why should I not cook something that would be hard enough , do need lots of attention and I have never done before but possible.

Today, man think their speciality in preparing continental and oven prepared foods but those guys know very well why they not put themselves into pure Indian spicy taste. I went to kitchen and found enough grams (chana) in the packet. Why should I not go for Chhole and Chawal (fried). This item would fullfill all my above objectives. I DECIDED !!

I took the gram and let them soaked for hours in the bowl till I came back from office after a hard working day. In office I talked with on of my friend (who believe she is my chat friend) and discussed my interest in preparing this stuff. She given me steps and complete list of ingredients to be used. I am not expert in cooking and haven't done such a sophisticated cooking so far. But, after talking with her, somewhere in my heart I suspect its gonna be a GOOD JOB to do.

Before, coming back to home I purchased Potatoes,tomatoes, Onion, Ginger, Garlic and Chillies from market. Checked, if the grams have been soaked enough to boil them. YES, they were. I was happy and put the grams to be boiled by adding some salt in the water as decided. Till the time they got boiled. I chopped the onion. I reminded while mom or dad prepared this stuff in kitchen they always talked about the finness of the chopped onion they add in Chhole and they should not be figured out in the prepared currry. Hence, I chopped the onion as fine as I could do and belieave I have never seen the onion in such a crumbled state before. I moved to potatoes which was not a tough task. Tomatoes, hmm I tried to chopped them too but this can't done naturally and I dont have grinder at my place. Ginger, I not a very experienced in purchasing this item from thhelas, so got it dried (which is not a good sign of fresh vegetable). thick pieces of ginger are not like in food as it burns by it nature. So, I was cutting it so fine like pilling the potatoes (so that only taste remained in curry not the ginger itself). Grams has been boiled now, I checked after putting cooker off from burner. So good so far.

Miss chilli, though this is quite easy but most of the time easy task become hard for this man (I am not aware of the reason why?). I was cutting chillie fine because I dont like them chewed by my mouth in food. Ouchhh!! my thumb. I hurt my thumb and the worst chilli was burning it up. I washed it in a while and added Sugar. Aaahh!! I got some sigh of relief.

Now, the curry prepration. I poured bioled grams from cooker to pan and lid it up. Burned, pure ghee, added Cumin seeds and mixed chopped onion after checking the fragrance. I fried the onion till they become rossy and soft.I added tomatoes and ginger then. And fried them till they shaped in a curry like thing. I even lid it for some minutes while doing so. hmm the fragrance of the curry was so nice. I added potatoes and mixed it as much as i can. I can see each potatoe chip wrapped with spicy curry. I added chillie then. Now, poured the boiled grams in it and stirred it calmly. I added one bowl of water and waited till it become to boil. I locked the cooker then with full gas on.

I was waiting for the whistle and confused what it gonna be. A great indian spicy food or some thing messed up to spoil it up completely.
Whistle!!!!!!!!! holla. I rushed to kitchen and stopped the gas, didn't opened cooker till the steam is releaved. Opened it up checked the state. Potoes were enough boiled but those hard grams still needs heat. ;). I given it them. Locked up the cooker again and put it on burner.
And it whistled again!!! I again but doesn't rush to the kithen because am afraid of bad prepration. I opened it up and smelled smelll was good. I put it on burner again and smashed some potatoes pieces and grams so that curry can be made thick. Mmmm!!! it smells good. I poured it in bowl.

Other place, rice have been boiled. I prepared the jeera chownk in pan fried the rice in them. I take them out in soccer. I preserved some chhhole for the man in another room. I like to share my good prepration. I had not taste it so far but belieave these are good enough..

I took my food to my room and scarely tasted the first spoon of Chhole. I lost, completely.. Mmm. I have not taken such a dainty chhole so many days before. I can have the taste of each ingrediant but can't figure them out from the prapared dish.. Each item provided its flavour in order to provide dish a new taste component and lost in it , burned for it. This dish was looking rich and its fragrance was enough to generate hunger.

Why we person doesn't manage to prepare such a group. Where every person played his role and lost his identity , given up all the flavour he has to create this country better, better and best. If a single thing missed its work, I was enough to judge the fault and can prove it unperfect dish. So every person need to do his work perfectly completely and propotionately. I learnt this lesson and enjoyed my Chhole chawal as dinner last night.