Well, here it comes once again. The month of the year that we all have been waiting for! The month of patience, the month of self-control, the month of spiritual reflection. Also, the month of getting a bit more close to our family, sitting together at the iftar table!
Let’s face the truth – the Bangladeshi tradition of eating together with the family has been long lost for most of us. While we have to face the reality and blame our busy schedule and changed lifestyle, we all miss eating together with our family at least once in a while. And there comes the month of Ramadan as a lifesaver!
In Ramadan, we all try to keep our busy schedules aside and sit together with all the family members for the iftar. Thanks to the changed school and office schedules, most of us actually get the opportunity to do that comfortably. While we sit together in the evening for iftar, there’s this one item that seems to be the staple of the whole arrangement. And this is nothing other than chola bhuna!
During the month of Ramadan, “Muri makha” is a must-have item in iftar for almost every single Bangladeshi family. This “Muri makha” is a mixture of puffed rice with chola (Chickpeas), salads, and other iftar snack items. While some people use “ghugni” in order to moist the mixture, most people actually prefer to use chola bhuna (Black Chickpeas Curry) for that purpose. My family is no exception to that!
Every single day in the Ramadan, around 20-30 mins before the iftar, a sense of urgency and festivity kicks in. During this time, people get busy giving the last touch to the iftar arrangements. This is the time when most people mix the chola, muri, and other items.
My father used to do the same. He used to mix the muri so perfectly and proportionately with the chola (chickpeas) and other items, thus making the mixture so mouth-watering and delicious. I still get the taste of that mix on the tip of my tongue. Since my father’s departure, it has been me who took the responsibility to make this arrangement!
However, in this “Muri makha” mix, there is this one secret ingredient that can make or break the overall taste. And this ingredient is chola bhuna. Thanks to the diverse spices used in chola bhuna, its flavor just spreads to the whole mixture so smoothly! I love the taste of chola bhuna made by my mom, so much that sometimes I just get a spoon after the iftar and sit down to eat the chola bhuna alone.
However, it’s not like this chola bhuna is something you can eat during Ramadan only. Sometimes my mom cooks it on a lazy evening, and I love to have it with some onions and tomato cubes.
Today, I am going to share the recipe for that special chola bhuna made by my mom.
Ingredients
- 1 Ib uncooked/dry Black Chola
- 2 pcs medium potatoes
- 1/2 cup tomatoes
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
- 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 3 pcs whole cardamoms
- 1 pc bay leaf
- 2 tbsp fried onions
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp salt (for boiling Chana)
- 1 tbsp salt ( for frying)
- 3 pcs whole Green Chili
Instructions
- Wash thoroughly and soak chola overnight with 3 cups of water.
- Boil soaked chola with six cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Boil it for 30 minutes or until the Chola is soft. Strain the water out and set aside the Chola.
- Boil potatoes in a separate pot until soft.
- In a pan warm the cooking oil. Add cinnamon, cardamoms, and bay leaf; fry for 3-5 minutes. Add onions and fry until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and mix well. Then add the tomatoes.
- Add ½ tsp salt to the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Add turmeric, red chili, coriander, and cumin powder and mix well.
- After 2-3 minutes of mixing, add ½ cup of warm water. Mix well, and cover. Cook at medium heat until the oil rises on the top.
- Add boiled Chola and keep stirring until chola and spices are mixed well.
- Then add boiled potatoes, ½ tsp salt, and mix with Chola.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir, and add the green chilis.
- Cover again and cook for another 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Sprinkle fried onions and coriander leaves as garnish.
