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Chana Madra

चना मद्रा
Chana Madra
Prep
15 mins (chickpeas pre-boiled)
Cook
25 mins
Serves
4

A beloved Himachali classic — boiled chickpeas simmered in a spiced yogurt gravy with whole spices, cashews, and raisins. Comforting, aromatic, and deeply flavourful.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup boiled chickpeas (kabuli chana)
  • Thick curd (दही), well beaten
  • 12–13 raisins (किशमिश)
  • Dry coconut, sliced
  • Desi ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (जीरा)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric (हल्दी)
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • Salt (नमक)
  • 3 whole dry red chillies (सबुत लाल मिर्च)
  • 2 bay leaves (तेज पत्ता)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks (दालचीनी)
  • 2 black cardamoms (बड़ी इलायची)
  • 6–7 cloves (लौंग)
  • 4 green cardamoms (छोटी इलायची)
  • 12–13 black peppercorns (काली मिर्च)
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp saunf powder (सौंफ)
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 20 cashews (काजू)
  • Pinch of hing (हींग)
  • Sugar according to taste and sourness

Method

  1. Fry the dry fruits: in a pan with hot ghee on medium heat, fry coconut slices, raisins, and cashews until light brown. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, add bay leaves, dalchini, badi elaichi, laung, kali mirch, choti elaichi, and sabut lal mirch. Switch off the gas and let it cool for 1 minute.
  3. Mix in all powdered masalas: hing, kali mirch powder, saunf powder, haldi, and lal mirch powder.
  4. Add the curd now and mix it properly — keep stirring so the curd doesn't split.
  5. Switch gas on to medium. Add garam masala, coriander powder, and salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes.
  6. Add the fried dry fruits and the boiled chickpeas. Mix well.
  7. Cook covered for 15–20 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  8. Add sugar according to taste and the sourness of the curd. The finished dish should have a balanced sweet-sour flavour.

Neelu's Original Recipe

Neelu's handwritten recipe for Chana Madra

Click to view Neelu's original handwritten recipe →

Other Cooks' Versions (with Notes)

Chana Madra — Himachali Style

Neelu's note: "Watch the curd technique — same as my recipe. The key is not to let it boil too hard or the curd will split."

Quick Chana Madra

Neelu's note: "Good shortcut version. Uses less whole spices but still tastes authentic for everyday cooking."
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