Chana Madra with Sago

Ingredients

• Cooked kabuli chana – 2 cups
• Moti sago – ¼ cup
• Thick full-fat curd – 1½ cups, room temperature
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Green cardamom – 3
• Cloves – 3
• Black cardamom – 1
• Turmeric – ¼ tsp
• Coriander powder – ½ tsp
• Raisins – 1 tbsp, optional
• Salt – as needed

Method

1. Cook the sago separately in about 1½ cups water until fully tender. Drain excess thin water and set aside.
2. Whisk the room-temperature curd until completely smooth. Keep all ingredients ready before it goes into the pan.
3. Heat ghee over medium-low heat and bloom cumin, cardamom and cloves without scorching them.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Add turmeric and coriander powder, then add the curd gradually while stirring continuously.
5. Keep stirring over low heat until the yogurt mixture is hot, smooth and begins to thicken; avoid a rapid boil that can split it.
6. Add cooked chickpeas and optional raisins and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring around the base.
7. Fold in the cooked sago only near the end and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Add hot water if the gravy becomes thicker than a pourable madra.
8. Rest 5 minutes before serving with rice. Traditional Himachali chana madra is a chickpea-yogurt dish without sago; this recipe keeps that base and uses sago only as an adaptation.