Hara Chana Kababs with Tomato Kasundi Relish

Winter is always so full of options when it comes to food ingredients. Hara Chana or “Choliya” as many know it is another delight this season offers. The Hara Chana kabab which predominantly consists of this beautiful fresh green gram (not the dried ones) is yet another one of my winter favourites. It’s rooted trace back to the royal cuisine of Sailana where the chefs created this magical recipe to substitute its traditional non-vegetarian avatar…Trust me they are so succulent and delicious that the thought of them can make your mouth water!!!

A twist by pairing it with my Tomato Kasundi relish gives it an awesome zing…It’s a superb main to go with soups or great when simply served as a filling appetiser too! When mildly spiced they can be a treat for foreigners as well, who wish to savour food of the Indian royalties.

The process of boiling them with curd and spices adds a distinct taste and flavour to it making them soft and juicy! For the fitness seekers…it’s great news because these kebabs are really rich in proteins. They aid in building muscle .and of course, help you watch your weight while you relish them.

To my delight, my recipe uses a Kasundi.  For those wondering what it means – it’s actually an Asian or Bengali variety of mustard sauce. It’s a pungent paste of fermented mustard seeds. Those having access to it…it’s a must try… for the others please try and source it for its sheer divine flavour.

So let’s get ready to experience Indian Royalty in one of its simplest food forms…

Hara Chana Kababs with Tomato Kasundi Relish
Course	Appetizer
Servings	6 people (makes 12 kababs)
Preparation Time	30 minutes for kabab; 5 minutes for relish
Cook time	60 minutes for kabab; 15 minutes for relish
Ingredients for Hara Chana Kababs (1 cup = 250 ml)
½ kg	Fresh green chana, shelled
8 gms.	Coriander seeds, powdered
5 gms	(cumin) jeera powdered
40 gms	Green chillies ground with seeds
60 gms	Onions ground into a paste
25 gms	Garlic ground into a paste
115 gms	Sour yoghurt (dahi)
25 gms	Ghee
20 gms	Roasted chana dal powdered
5 gms	Sugar powdered
1 Tsp	Garam masala powder
2 cups	Water
	Ghee for shallow frying the kababs.
Ingredients for Tomato Kasundi Relish (1 cup = 250 ml)
3-4	Tomatoes chopped
1 Tsp	Kalonji (nigella) seeds
1 Tsp	Mustard seeds
1 Tsp	Saunf (aniseed)
2-3	Dried red chillies
½ tsp	Red chilli powder
	Salt to taste
3 Tsp	Sugar
½ tsp	Kasundi mustard (or any grainy mustard would do)
3 tbsp	Oil
Ingredients to serve
1	Onion thinly sliced
½	Lemon
1 tbsp	Coriander leaves, chopped finely
	Salt and red chilli to taste
Instructions for the Kabab
1.	Boil the green grams along with the salt, coriander seeds, cumin powder, green chilli paste, garlic paste, onion paste, curd, ghee and water.
2.	Cook in a kadhai on a moderate flame. Dry the liquids completely. Let the mix cool.
3.	Grind the mixture finely. Add the sugar and roasted chana powder for binding kababs.
4.	Divide the mixture into 12 parts equally. Flatten and shape into round kababs. The kababs should be soft and not too dry.
5.	On a low flame, shallow fry these kababs until golden brown.
Instructions for the Tomato Relish
1.	Heat oil in a pan
2.	Add in the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add in the red chillies, aniseed (saunf) and nigella seeds. Sauté for 1 minute.
3.	Add the tomatoes along with salt, sugar and red chilli powder. Let it cook until tomatoes are mushy and release its juices.
4.	Cook for about 10-15 minutes until tomatoes get cooked properly, and the liquid dries out. The consistency of it should be like a relish or chutney. The relish is ready when the oil comes out on top.
5.	Let the mixture cool a bit, then add in the kasundi paste.
Assembly and serving
1.	Mix in the lemon juice, salt, red chilli powder and coriander leaves with onion slices.
2.	Brush the plate with a spoon of the relish. Arrange the kabab on it. Garnish with onion slices..
3.	Alternatively, add ½ tsp of tomato relish on a kabab. Garnish with sliced onion mix.