Famous Lahori Chanay Homemade Recipe | Cooking With Sabeera

Famous Lahori Chanay (Chickpeas)

Presenter: Cooking With Sabeera

---

Ingredients

• Oil: ½ cup
• Saaf masala (clean spices):
  • Sugar piece (slightly bigger size)
  • 10-12 black peppercorns
  • 2 small dhyan flowers (or 1 large if available)
  • 1 large cardamom
• White spice: 1 spoon (unclear exact spice, possibly cumin or white pepper)
• Medium onion: 1 (made into a paste with a little water)
• Crushed red chili: quantity not exact, added twice (once with coriander powder, once ground)
• Coriander powder: 1 spoon
• Garam masala: approx. 1 spoon
• Water: several spoons for frying spices and onion paste, plus 2 glasses for cooking chana
• Chana (chickpeas): ½ kilo, soaked overnight in 0.25 L water with ¼ tsp baking soda and a little salt
• Black pepper powder: 1 spoon (ground)
• Green chilies: added near the end
• Boiled potato: 1 (for paste)
• Additional chana: ½ cup (for paste)

---

Equipment & Preparation

• Pan (paan) for frying and cooking
• Blender or grinder for making onion and chana-potato paste
• Soaking container for chickpeas (overnight soak)

---

Method

1. Prepare the oil and spices:

   • Heat ½ cup oil lightly in a pan.
   • Add saaf masala: sugar piece, black peppercorns, dhyan flowers (2 small or 1 large), and large cardamom. Fry lightly.
   • Add 1 spoon of white spice and fry lightly. (Optional to skip any saaf gram spices.)

2. Onion paste:

   • Make a paste of 1 medium onion with a little water.
   • Fry the paste until water evaporates and onion turns brown (takes some time). Avoid drying out completely.

3. Add spices to onion:

   • Add crushed red chili, 1 spoon coriander powder, a little garam masala, and 2 spoons water. Fry well to roast spices.
   • Add ground red chili (just under 1 spoon) with 1-2 spoons water to prevent gelling. Fry well again.

4. Add soaked chana:

   • Drain overnight soaking water, rinse chana, and add to the pan with some of the soaking water.
   • Roast the chana on medium flame until water dries and chana is well roasted.

5. Prepare chana-potato paste:

   • Boil ½ cup chana and 1 potato until soft.
   • Blend together with some boiled chana water to make a smooth paste. This adds flavor and texture.
   • (Variations: use only chana paste or only potato paste if preferred.)

6. Combine and cook:

   • Add the chana-potato paste to the roasted chana and mix well.
   • Add 2 glasses of water (or more to allow cooking and evaporation).
   • Add 1 spoon ground black pepper powder (essential for authentic Lahori flavor).
   • Cook on low flame for 10 minutes until gravy thickens and oil separates on top.

7. Finishing:

   • Add green chilies and cook on dum (covered, low heat) for 2 more minutes to infuse flavor.
   • Oil should float on top, indicating proper cooking and richness.

---

Tips & Notes

• Soaking chickpeas overnight with baking soda and salt helps soften them.
• Frying the onion paste until brown is crucial for deep flavor.
• Roasting spices well enhances aroma and taste.
• Black pepper powder is a signature spice in Lahori Chanay and should not be skipped.
• Adjust water quantity to ensure gravy consistency and allow evaporation during cooking.
• Oil amount is moderate (½ cup) to avoid greasiness but enough to bring out flavor.
• Adding potato to the paste variation enriches texture and taste.
• Final dum step with green chilies adds fresh heat and aroma.

---

Serving

• Serve hot, garnished with green chilies.
• The dish has a thick, flavorful gravy with a balanced spicy and peppery profile typical of Lahori cuisine.

---

Source: Cooking With Sabeera – Famous Lahori Chanay Homemade Recipe