I know you’ve never tried it. Because I made it up. It doesn’t exist. Or it didn’t. Until now. But now it does. And I hope you try it. Even though you’ve never heard of it. It’s easy. Healthy. Vegan even. Not that I care. I just like it. It passes my big flavour bar. What else do you need?
This one is pure glebekitchen
Full disclosure. I wrote this post for me. For purely selfish reasons. I want to remember. This one is now in my regular rotation. I came up with it as a quick side for an Indian dinner. Green chili chana achari just happened. I didn’t develop it over time. No tinkering. Didn’t even really think about it. Needed a chickpea dish. Whipped something up in a hurry. Tasted it. Loved it. And scribbled it down. Maybe I could play with it. Make it better. Tweak it. Somehow. It’s possible. But I don’t think it needs it. This one fits my mouth just fine. Exactly the way it is.
Green chili pickle is the secret ingredient
I’m loving playing with Indian pickles these days. They make hotel style achari chicken what it is. Garlic pickle puts garlic chilli chicken right over the top. Seriously. Right over the top. You need to taste that one to believe it. And I’m slipping naga pickle in anywhere I can. I love naga pickle. If you’ve never tasted Indian pickles you need to start. This is not about kosher dills. This is a simple recipe. Some onion. Some spice. A few curry leaves. Some green chilies. And green chili pickle. Green chili pickle is 80 percent of the flavour in Green chili chana achari. Without it, it’s just another chickpea curry. Not bad. But nothing special. Add some green chili pickle though. Magic happens. This dish is really just a way for me to eat more green chili pickle. I use Mother’s brand green chili pickle. For the record I don’t do paid endorsements. Not ever. But the brand I’m using here is kind of important. Mother’s is heavy on the mustard seed. If you want exactly what I’m tasting see if you can find it. You can pick another brand. Or make it yourself. May not be exactly the same. But I’m betting it will still be tasty.
Green chili chana achari for your next dinner party
I love variety. Addicted to it. I want different tastes in every meal. Different textures. Melody. Counter melody. I get bored easily. And Indian isn’t any different. I always want to see a minimum of two dishes on my plate. Three is better. Four starts to push into thali territory. Which I love. But that is a crazy amount of work. So I don’t do it often. Think about adding green chili chana achari as that second note. A counterpoint to your star. Something that gives your taste buds a little surprise. Make your mouth smile. Or make green chili chana achari as a main course. It’s good enough to hold its own. I’m even eating it for breakfast these days. Did I mention I like this dish? Think about it. Consider mixing it up. Try something new. This one is different. A little bit out there. I get that it’s a leap. But remember. I did this one for me. I am more than happy to share though…
