Chola Bhaja ~ Fried black chickpeas/Kala Chana(A guilt free snack)

Today, I am here with a guilt free snack, which goes great with tea or coffee and it's not deep fried, so it's a very healthy snack. It is made of black chana or chola in Bengali. Just soak for few hours and then shallow fry them in medium heat, and you have home made healthy tea-time snack. I learned it from my friend, and from that day on it has become my hubby's favorite snack. It is nutritious and also quite filling.

Ingredients :

Black chickpeas/chola/kala chana : 1 cup
Onion : 1(medium-chopped)
Green chilli : 2(chopped)
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp.
Oil : 2 tblsp.
Chilli powder : 1-2 tsp.
Salt to taste

Chat masala/ Amchur powder : a pinch(optional)

Method :

Soak chickpeas overnight if possible, or for 3-4 hours in hot water. When soaked totally, remove, wash again and pat dry.
Heat oil in a wide pan, temper with mustard seeds. When seeds start to crackle, add chopped green chillies and finely chopped onions. Fry until onions turn transparent and light brown, then add Black chickpeas.
Stir and mix with onions. Turn the heat to medium. Keep stirring them continuously for another 10 minutes. The key for this snack is in the frying.
After frying for 10 minutes in medium heat, you will find chickpeas became soft and cooked from inside. Remove from heat and sprinkle chat masala or amchur(dry mango) powder.
Enjoy this yummy snack with tea or coffee, but consume immediately. Do not store them.

Linking This to Simply.Food's Lets cook Speedy Snack event