Instructions: For the Sikh community of India rejoicing and feasting is a way of Iffe. These are people whose celebrations are grand extravaganzas of dance music food and drink. One of their most special festivals is Guru Parab the birthday of their leader Guru Gobind Singh. Free community kitchens are set up where you eat choleybhature a Sikh favourite. Choley are white chickpeas cooked to a creamy consistency with several spices. Bhature are huge round puffs of bread that are fried until golden.

how they grow
White chickpeas like other pulses grow in pods on small bushy plants. They thrive in cold climates and are cultivated extensively in the cool dry Indo Gangetic plains of India. The pods are harvested in the winter dried and threshed. The peas are further dried in the sun until completely moisture free.

appearance and taste
These peas are small hard creamy white and can be halved. The pea has a thick skin which often comes away during soaking and cooking. On their own chickpeas have little aroma or taste but when cooked with flavourings and spices they take on a nutty creamy flavour.

buying and storing
Chickpeas are available dried or cooked and canned in brine. Buy cans of chickpeas to save cooking time but check the best before date. Dried chickpeas will keep for 4 months.

culinary uses
These small peas need to be soaked for at least 8 hours after which they nearly double in size. They are thoroughly boiled before use in curries salads rice pulaos and chutneys. White chickpeas go beautifully with garlic onions and tomatoes and give any dish a thick creamy consistency. Use them in yoghurt based salads or raitas in fresh green salads and as a garnish over vegetables or rice. They are combined with mixed peppers tomatoes and a few spices for a tasty dry dish with rlce and lentils. If you have a can of chickpeas onions garlic and tomatoes you can make one of the fastest indian meals possible. Chickpeas are used widely in Mediterranean cookery where they are crushed with garlic oil and yoghurt to make a dip or added to soups salads and stews.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.