Apparently, I am on a green garbanzo kick lately. First it was healthy chaat from these beans and now today’s recipe.
It is a unique combination of methi (fenugreek), and matar (peas) in a creamy gravy. However, I made the recipe with with frozen green garbanzo beans instead of peas. Sweet, succulent and packed with several vital nutrients garbanzo beans are easily interchangeable in many recipes. The mild bitterness of fenugreek leaves is wonderfully balanced with sweet green garbanzo beans and creamy gravy.
Living near Vancouver International Airport we have friends dropping by unexpectedly. And, our innate Indian hospitality doesn’t allow us to get away without feeding them. If I know in advance, then I usually prepare a nice meal but sometimes when I don’t know, I open cans of beans, take out frozen vegetables, koftas, or cooked meat from the freezer or make egg curry with a lentil dish for a quick meal. This dish was made on one such day last week when my husband’s old classmate stopped in Vancouver for a few hours before catching the next flight.
I had fresh methi from my garden and green garbanzo bag in the freezer so making this dish wasn’t difficult at all.
A delightful combination of fenugreek leaves and green garbanzo beans in nice creamy gravy.
Ingredients
- 150 g methi (fenugreek leaves), chopped
- 500-600 g frozen green garbanzo beans /Choliya
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (not essential, I used just for the color)
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder), to taste
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 200- 250 ml cream
- 2 tbsp sweet rice flour
- 250 ml water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a pan on medium heat. add chopped onion, saute until translucent.
- Add ginger and garlic paste, mix and cook until light brown.
- Add methi and let cook, stirring continually for 2-3 minutes until it is wilted and emits a nice aroma.
- Add turmeric, amchur, red chilli powder, all the other dry spices and green garbanzo beans. Mix well and cook for a minute or two. Sprinkle a tbsp of water to prevent the masala and methi from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add 3/4 cup water. Cover and cook on medium till the beans are tender (it won't take long if you are using frozen green garbanzo beans from the costco).
- Blend sweet rice flour in the remaining 1/4 cup water. Add this to choliya and cook until slightly thickened.
- Add cream, bring to a gentle boil.
- Serve methi malai choliya with chapatis.
ela@GrayApron
Great soup and a nice way to feed a friend between flights! Soup is often all I feel like when coming from a trip…
ela h.
Malti Sharma
Your dish makes me salivate! I love that you have twisted the recipe as per your need and still created a classic restaurant dish.
Monica
I can picture your hospitality easily, Balvinder! : ) And wouldn’t you know that right after I read about green garbanzo beans for the first time from you, I see David Lebovitz post a picture of it from his trip in Italy. Things happen in patterns sometimes. I love all kinds of soups and this one looks very welcoming!
Balvinder
And when they happen in pattern they happen for a reason. Look for these lovelies in your local grocery store and then you can toss them into salads, add it to pilafs, stir it in stews or make an Indian style curry or chaat.
Coffee and Crumpets
I’ll have to remember you live near the airport 🙂 Maybe I’ll get lucky and get a meal too! I love methi and this sounds heavenly to me.
Balvinder
You will definitely get a meal my dear dear friend 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Wish I could find green chickpeas over here…the soup look super!
Choc Chip Uru
Mmm I would love to try this soup – healthy and delicious 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Blackswan
Bal, I noticed you like to use chick peas as ingredients. They make a healthy choice, but no one in my family appreciates peas. Terrible us, we always pick them out like kids. Lol! But I don’t mind drinking the soup tho 🙂
minnie@thelady8home
Ahhh!! This looks supremely delicious, no kidding!! I am in love with the color, and the flavors are hopping out of the screen and beckoning me. While I don’t have choliya, I do have matar, and today I am making methi matar malai. Wish you lived closer.