RAWALPINDI: Most variants of the traditional morning channa are laced with spices and laden with the tarka we have all come to love.

Residents of the garrison city are now putting a twist on this loved-for-long breakfast item and instead of garnishing with onions and spices fried in oil, are seasoning chickpeas with black pepper and khoya: a sweet and sour version of the popular breakfast item.

Usually, the chickpea curry is served with an equally curried piece of chicken and boiled eggs, are garnished with crushed ginger, green chillies and sesame seeds and are served with naan, making them a good competitor for nihari and sri paye.

Chickpeas are served in various forms in Rawalpindi including with some of the variants being Lahori chaney, roasted chickpeas, aloo chole, channey makhani, chikar chole, chicken channey, chole patoray and in some pasta dishes.

However, residents of the garrison city seem taken with khoya wale channey, which is fast climbing up the list of the most popular breakfast items and many food outlets are now serving it for lunch and breakfast as well, including many eateries in Kartarpura.

“We introduced this dish some years ago and people seem to like it a lot. The recipe has been in our family for generations,” said Abdul Manan, the owner of Sufi Restaurant in Kartarpura.

He said the best time to get the dish at his restaurant is early morning as customers start coming in soon after morning prayers and that they run out of the sweet and sour channey by 8am.

“We use white pepper, black pepper and a few other spices, but not red chillies or the other more prominent tasting spices. Khoya is then mixed with the channey when it is almost cooked, which is what makes it different than the other chickpea dishes,” he said.

He added that customers still want their khoye wale channey with a side of chicken piece and boiled eggs.

“I am usually done with the cooking in an hour,” he said. Zafar Malik, a resident of Saidpur Road, said he likes having chickpea curry for breakfast most and that he is only able to indulge in his favourite dish on the weekends and pairs it off with either a kulcha or a paratha.

He said both him and his wife are heart patients and have been told not to have spices or beef, which makes koye wale channey the ideal weekend breakfast in their home.

“We also serve all our guests this dish, whatever the time may be. I think it is a healthier option,” he added.

Naseer Ahmed, a resident of Chaklala Scheme-III said the best time for this dish is winters or summer mornings. Most Arabian dishes use chickpeas, but Pakistani dishes are the best, he said.

“Channey with a kulcha which is garnished with sesame seeds and lassi are my favourite breakfast,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2018