by Anupama Vasudeva
Food was never just food for Didi.
It was curiosity, instinct, experimentation and passion — all rolled into one.
For years, I have been involved in running a food production unit, constantly working on research and development for new products. And among all the experiments and innovations, one challenge obsessed me more than most — creating the perfect frozen chana that could rival the iconic flavours of Delhi’s famous chole bhature shops.
It became a full-fledged culinary mission.
There were endless trials, countless tastings, adjustments in spice blends and repeated attempts to recreate that unmistakable depth of flavour. And yet, despite all the effort, something always felt missing. The taste we were chasing remained frustratingly out of reach.
Somewhere in the middle of this journey, I happened to speak to Didi on the phone.
Completely consumed by my frustration, I poured out the entire story to her — every failed experiment, every variation we had tried and every tiny detail of the process.
And in the calmest, most confident voice, she simply said:
“Tell me everything you’ve done. I’ll give you the recipe you’re looking for.”
That was Didi.
Completely certain when it came to flavours.
A few days later, a message appeared on my WhatsApp — her recipe for Chana Masala.
Meticulously detailed, thoughtfully balanced and written with the kind of instinct only she possessed.
I still remember the excitement with which I rushed back into the kitchen to try it.
And the moment the chana began cooking, with the fragrance of roasted spices filling the air, I knew instantly that something magical had happened.
We had finally found it.
That depth. That warmth. That unmistakable flavour we had spent so long searching for.
What amazed me most was that Didi had this extraordinary ability to understand flavours without even tasting the final dish herself. Her instinct in the kitchen was almost unbelievable. She simply knew.
Today, I am sharing the very same recipe with you.
Not as a secret anymore, but as a memory of her brilliance, her generosity and her deep love for food.
And while putting this together, I also found her handwritten recipe once again — almost as though she was gently reminding me that some flavours, like some people, never really leave us.
Ingredients
- 20 gm coriander seeds
- 30 gm fennel seeds
- 30 gm cumin seeds
- 5 gm cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole flower mace
- 6 gm black cardamom
- 4 gm green cardamom
- 4 gm ajwain
- 35 gm pomegranate seeds
- 3 gm black pepper
- 3 gm cloves
- 10 gm black mustard seeds
- 3 gm star anise
- 3 gm fenugreek leaves
- 5 gm tamarind
- 5 gm white sesame seeds
- 20 gm Kashmiri red chillies
- 5 gm nutmeg
- 5 gm bay leaves
- 5 gm dry ginger
- 5 gm mint leaves
- 10 gm dry mango powder
- 5 gm black salt
- 4 gm carrom seeds
- 5 gm common salt
- 10 gm kachari powder
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
Method
- Dry roast all the ingredients listed above on low heat until aromatic.
- Allow the roasted spices to cool completely.
- Once cooled, add:
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ tsp citric acid
- A small quantity of harar
- A small quantity of pipli
- Grind everything together in a mixer until you get a fine masala powder.
And just like that, you have created a deeply aromatic, flavour-packed Chana Masala.
Some recipes are carefully measured.
And then there are recipes like these — guided by instinct, perfected through love and remembered long after the last meal is finished.
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