(BBN) - Channa or well known as chick pea is a legume that is nutrient dense providing rich protein content, dietary fiber, and dietary minerals like iron and phosphorous.
It is an undoubtedly super food.
Soaking and cooking of the chickpeas increase the protein quality, protein digestibility and essential amino acid index.
It is highly recommended to weight conscious people and diet watchers as the protein and the fiber present in it helps in keeping the stomach full for longer hours.
If there is no left over channa masala, you can make a fresh channa masala with addition vegetables like capsicum, peas, sweet corn then make channa pasta out of it.
You could also make a mix such as white, black and green channa and then make the dish.
So, go ahead and make this dish as a evening snack for your pasta loving children or as a simple, nutritive and wholesome dinner for the family.
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes + time to make channa masala
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
• Channa Masala (Chole) - 2 cups
• Pasta - 2 cups
• Salt - as needed
• Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro - for garnishing
METHOD
1. Cook and drain the pasta as per the package instructions.
Any shape of pasta could be used. Different pastas have different cooking times. Here used small shells pasta.
2. Heat the channa masala gravy with little extra salt and red chili powder.
This is to flavor the pasta. If you do not have leftover channa masala, you can make it from scratch.
3. Toss the cooked pasta with the gravy and mix it nicely.
4. Finally toss in the finely chopped cilantro and serve hot.
TIPS
• The other pasta dishes that can be made with leftover gravies are:
• Chicken Pasta - with left over pepper chicken or other chicken masalas.
• Mushroom Pasta - with leftover mushroom masala. These are just some of the ideas but the possibilities are endless, according to Simple Indian Recipes.
BBN/MS/ANS