Ingredients
- 250 g Homemade soft Chenna (not too dry)
- 2 tsp Maida (refined flour)
- Around 15 Raisins
- 250 g Potato (diced)
- 2 tsp Ginger paste
- 2 Medium-sized tomato (finely chopped)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
- 4 Green cardamoms
- 6 Cloves
- ¼ tsp Cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- ¼ tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp Freshly ground coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Freshly ground cumin powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Homemade Bengali Garam Masala powder
- 1 tsp Sugar (optional, but really enhances the flavour)
- Salt According to taste
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 4 Green chillies (slit)
- ½ cup Mustard oil
- 2.5 cups Warm water
Instructions
- Mix the refined flour, 1 tsp ginger paste and 1 tsp salt with the chenna/chana/paneer. Mash it with hand for some time, until no cracks develop on rolling a small portion of the dough into a ball.
- Make small chenna balls from the dough. Flatten each and put a raisin inside. Re-roll and flatten a bit, as shown in the main pic.
- Heat the mustard oil in a shallow pan. Once hot, reduce the flame to a minimum. Slowly put the discs of Chenna into hot oil and fry carefully, until light golden on both sides. Remove on an absorbent paper and keep aside. Always fry the Chenna discs in batches, so that these do not break.
- In the same oil, fry the potatoes with 1 tsp salt. When the potatoes turn golden, remove them into a plate lined with absorbent paper.
- Using a sieve, filter the hot oil, in case it has black residue. Careful with this step, as the oil is very hot!
- Clean the pan of any remaining residue and heat it again. Add the filtered hot oil into the clean pan.
- Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and green cardamoms to the oil.
- After a few seconds, add cumin, fenugreek and fennel seeds.
- As soon as the fenugreek seeds darken a bit, add a paste of turmeric powder, ginger, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Sauté continuously to avoid the spices getting burnt.
- Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cover. Sauté after every 2 min, until the tomatoes are mushy.
- Add warm water, potatoes, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Cover and bring this to a boil.
- Stir and add the homemade garam masala powder, green chillies and the flattened Chenna balls. Simmer for 10 min.
- Check for the salt and adjust accordingly. Add ghee, stir and switch off the flame. Transfer into a serving bowl immediately.
