Greetings everyone! This Mohammad Sumon! from #Bangladesh

^{Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well by the grace of the Almighty.}

Today, I am very excited to share my entry for the Contest organized by the Steem For Pakistan community. A special thanks to the community admin @suboohi Apu, for hosting such an engaging competition.

^{Spreading positivity and creativity through my words.}

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From My Kitchen To Your Plate

When I step into the kitchen at the end of the day, exhausted, I have only one thought on my mind—I need to cook something that is nutritious, delicious, and quick to make. And that's where the One-Pot Wonder works like magic. This wonderful theme for the first week of the Steemit Challenge Season 33 reminded me of a real-life story from my kitchen. Today, I'm going to share with you one of my favorite and most beloved comfort foods—Chola Boot Bhuna.

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Chola Boot Bhuna

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^{Cover: Chola Boot Bhuna}

Below I am sharing the complete recipe for roasted chickpeas (chola) with potatoes, made in a very simple way from my own kitchen.

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Ingredients:

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• Boiled chickpeas (chola): 1 bowl (taken from a packet frozen during Ramadan)

• Boiled potatoes: 2 medium-sized (halved and partially mashed)

• Chopped onion and green chillies: ½ cup chopped onion and 4-5 green chillies sliced

• Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tablespoon

• Turmeric and chilli powder: 1 teaspoon each

• Juminaria and coriander powder: 1 teaspoon each

• Garram masala powder: ½ teaspoon

• Whole garam masala and bay leaves: 1 bay leaf and 2 pieces of cinnamon (for aroma)

• Salt and oil: As per taste and quantity

Preparation & Cooking Process:

In my opinion, one of the most important parts of a one-pot is having the ingredients perfectly prepared before you start cooking. Below, I've detailed each step of my cooking prep and main process:

Step 1: Selecting Chickpeas and Potatoes

Since I am using frozen chickpeas stored in the freezer, I first took the packet of chickpeas out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for a while to defrost.

Step 2: Boil the Potatoes

I had already boiled the potatoes, with their skins, in a separate pot to use in the chickpea roast. I think the real beauty of one-pot cooking is the little tricks you can use to save time.

Step 3: Peeling the Potatoes

After the potatoes were cooked thoroughly, I removed them from the pot. After they cooled slightly, I peeled the potatoes very well with my hands and cleaned them.

Step 4: Mash the Potatoes

To make the gravy for the chickpea stew, I mashed the boiled potatoes with my hands. I find that instead of mashing them completely, when you eat them, the taste of the potatoes in your mouth increases manifold.

Step 5: Heat the oil

Now I put my one-pot pan on the stove and added a generous amount of soybean oil to it and heated it over medium heat.

Step 6: Fry the onion and green chillies

Once the oil is hot enough, add the chopped onions and sliced ​​green chilies. Stir-fry until the onion is soft and turns light golden brown.

Step 7: Adding Spices and Boiling

Now, I added ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander and cumin powder, salt to taste, and whole bay leaves and cinnamon sticks for a nice aroma to the fried onions.

Step 8: Grinding the spices

After adding the spices to the pan, I ground them well with a little water for a while. When the raw smell of the spices disappeared and a beautiful oil floated to the top, I knew that the grinding of the spices was complete.

Step 9: Mix the prepared chickpeas and potatoes

Now add the pre-boiled chickpeas and peeled and half-mashed potatoes to the grated masala. Mix the potatoes and chickpeas with the masala and mix well with a spoon.

Step 10: Add water and boil

After the spices were well coated on the chickpeas and potatoes, I added enough water to fully infuse the spices into the potatoes and chickpeas. Then I kept the stove on medium heat and waited for the beans to boil.

Step 11: Making the gravy

After the water boiled, I covered the pan with a lid and cooked for a while. Our mashed potatoes mixed with the gravy, giving the gravy a very thick and creamy texture.

Step 12: One-pot chickpea stew is ready

When the broth has completely dried and has become a paste on the chickpeas and potatoes, I turn off the stove. The one-pot chickpea stew with the perfect texture is ready.

Step 13: Serving/Final Presentation

Finally, I served the steaming hot roasted chickpeas in a beautiful glass bowl. It looked as attractive as it smelled!

^{Chola Boot Bhuna}

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How did you save?

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This one-pot recipe and my preparation are a great life hack for me in my busy life. I think cooking this way reduces a lot of kitchen hassle for ordinary cooks like us. Here are some ways I saved time, gas, and labor while cooking this dish:

• Smart Prep & Gas Saving: In Bangladesh, gas pressure is very low, especially during the month of Ramadan. So to avoid gas problems and to facilitate quick cooking of a neat iftar, we boil chickpeas in advance for the whole month, fill them in ziplock bags, and freeze them. Today, I used a frozen chickpea packet for cooking. Since the chickpeas were already boiled and I also boiled the potatoes side-by-side, it took minimal gas and very little time to complete the main cooking in the one-pot pan.

• Less Dishes: There was no need to boil the chickpeas separately on the stove or use a separate pan. I cooked the chickpeas and potatoes straight from the fridge in the same pan with the spices and finished the entire meal in one pot. As a result, there was no extra large saucepan or frying pan to wash in the sink. In my opinion, there is no alternative to a one-pot to save you from the hassle of washing a pile of dishes after cooking! Just one pan and one spoon are all you need to do.

^{Alhamdulillah, the final look of the delicious Chola Boot Bhuna with Tag}

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Show Comfort

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For me, this Chola Boot Bhuna with Potatoes is not just a recipe; it is the name of absolute satisfaction, a piece of mental peace. Especially the atmosphere of that daily iftar in the month of Ramadan, the joy of sitting together with the whole family for iftar—all these sweet memories are associated with this chola bhuna.

Today, when I took out the packet of chickpeas from the fridge and was making this one-pot bhuna, I felt like I was back in those fragrant days of Ramadan, in front of my mother's smiling face. When I return home after a busy day or a mechanical rush, I don't have the energy to cook anything heavy. I think, in such a situation, this quickly prepared chola bhuna gives me a strange om and absolute satisfaction like the cooking of my mother's hands. It is truly like a warm hug or warm embrace for my soul.

^{My selfie with the Chola Boot Bhuna I made}

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I have already successfully commented on the posts of those who have already participated in this contest to increase engagement: ✌️

• Comment 1
• Comment 2

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^{Camera Device: Samsung Galaxy A04}

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I would like to invite @ninapenda, @bossj23, and @saxopedia to participate in this contest. Hope to see your wonderful entries! 🙂

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If you enjoyed my post, feel free to upvote, comment, and share your thoughts. Your support keeps me motivated!

Thank you very much ❤️

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