Chana Pulao

Ingredients

• 200 g dried chickpeas (kabuli chana), soaked in plenty of water overnight
• 1 bay leaf, for boiling the chickpeas
• 300 g basmati rice
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 5 cm
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
• 3 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste, plus extra for boiling
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Rinse the basmati in several changes of cold water until the water runs almost clear. Cover with fresh water and soak for 30 minutes, then drain well just before using.
2. Drain the soaked chickpeas and put them in a medium pot with 1.2 litres of fresh water, the bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then cover and simmer until a chickpea mashes easily between your fingers, about 40 minutes (about 15 minutes at full pressure in a pressure cooker).
3. Strain the chickpeas, keeping the cooking liquid. Measure out 500 ml of the liquid and top up with hot water if you are short. Set both aside.
4. Heat the oil in the large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Lift out about a third of them onto a plate for garnish.
5. To the remaining onions add the cumin seeds, cloves, both cardamoms, cinnamon and peppercorns. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and salt. Cook, mashing the tomatoes with your spoon, until soft and the oil begins to separate at the edges, about 6 minutes.
7. Lower the heat and stir in the yogurt a little at a time so it does not split. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the chickpeas and green chillies and stir to coat in the masala for 2 minutes.
8. Pour in the 500 ml chickpea liquid, add half the mint and coriander and the lemon juice, and bring to a rolling boil. Taste the liquid: it should be slightly saltier than you would like to eat, because the rice will absorb it. Adjust the salt.
9. Add the drained rice and spread it evenly, gently, without stirring hard. Cook uncovered over high heat until the liquid has dropped just below the surface of the rice and small steam holes appear, about 6 to 8 minutes.
10. Sprinkle over the garam masala. Cover with the lid (put a tava under the pot if you have one), turn the heat to its lowest and cook on dum until the grains are tender and fluffy, 10 minutes.
11. Turn off the heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork from the sides, and scatter the reserved fried onions and remaining mint and coriander on top.

Tips

• Soak the chickpeas overnight, about 8 hours, and keep the rice soak to 30 minutes. Longer soaking makes basmati break when stirred.
• Use the chickpea cooking liquid for the rice. It carries flavour and gives the grains a savoury, slightly creamy taste.
• Do not stir after adding the rice. Move it only by gently lifting from the edges, otherwise the long grains snap and turn sticky.
• If the rice is still hard after dum, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of hot water over it, cover and steam for 5 more minutes.