Nostalgic Chickpea Potato Biryani for a Rainy Day
This Chickpea Potato Biryani goes back a while in my life, to days when I really did not understand the big difference between dark brown chickpeas and their milder mannered white cousins. This is another recipe cobbled from my Pakistani roommate in school, sort of a variation of this recipe picked up on Food52.
This biryani typically uses a mixture of fresh green garbanzo beans and dark brown chickpeas and adds loads of mint and some saffron for finish, flavor and completion. A frugal meal with elegance. An unusual yet potent blend of spices. On a rainy day such as this, this meal offered just the perfect dose of comfort! After all who said that rainy days are just for soup?. This comforting one pot meal taking me back to days of nostalgia is wonderful served piping hot! Better still with a simple Indian style raita or salad.
This for all intents and purposes, is one of those quick posts. A lot going on this week. Trying to juggle in all and stay sanguine. In the middle of it all, my daughter is showing her true teen colors and how! Yikes, I will take the terrible twos many times over!!1 What happened to my beautiful little girl? Who took her and replaced her with the head monster that we see in her place? This one reserves her worst and most offensive behavior for me? It is exactly on days like this, I am happy that I never gave up my spud love. You will hear and see more about that in the next few posts to come.
Two other biryanis that are good to mention include Egg Biryani and Shrimp Biryani.
A hearty frugal and wholesome meal with with loads of flavors and a touch of elegance.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 medium sized tomato, diced
- 1 cup of dark brown cooked chickpeas (kala chana)
- 1 medium sized white potato, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium sized purple potato, peeled and quartered
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed whole black peppercorns
- 1 cup of basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained thoroughly
- 3 whole black cardamoms
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon saffron strands
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil ad add in the onion and saute for about 7 to 8 minutes, until the onions are wilted and begin to turn gently golden.
- Add in the ginger and the tomato and cook until the tomato is softened.
- Add in the chickpeas, potatoes, salt, garam masala powder, crushed whole black pepper corns and mix well.
- Gently stir in the basmati rice with 2 cups water and whole black cardamoms and bay leaves.
- Bring the rice to a simmer and cover and cook for 12 minutes until the water is mostly evaporated.
- Add in the saffron strands crushing them lightly.
- Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped mint and lime juice before serving.