Punjabi Chole – Curried Chickpeas

With homemade Chole masala

This lipsmacking delight comes from the vibrant North Indian state of Punjab. It is made of kabuli chana (chickpeas) with a hearty dose of signature pubjabi spices and onions that have been sautéed to perfection. Well-made chole is a dish that can instantly transport you to a world of gastronomic pleasures. Chole with Bhature is the best kind of comfort food there is; even chole poori isn’t far behind.

There are many ways of making chole. But the most popular version of chole to pair with bhature (or poori) is the dark (blackish) chole in spicy dark gravy. For achieving the dark colour, a tea-bag is added to the pot while boiling the chickpeas. Also, this recipe includes a special black masala that adds a darker colour to the dish. Turmeric powder is not used in this recipe as turmeric adds a yellow tinge to the dish.

This recipe also includes the recipe of a homemade chole masala. You can make this masala in a large batch and store it in the fridge for 2-3 months.

Ingedients:

• Kabuli chana (chickpeas) – 1.5 cups
• Onions – 4
• Ginger-  2” piece
• Garlic – 15 to 20 cloves
• Green chillies – 3 to 4
• Black tea leaves – 1.5 tsp
• Black cardamom – 1
• Bay leaf – 1
• Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Dhaniya (coriander) powder – 2 tsp
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Oil – 3 to 4 Tbsp

For Chole Masala:

• Cloves – 3 to 5
• Black pepper corns – 8 to 10
• Jeera (cumin) – 1 Tbsp
• Anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) – 1 Tbsp
• Amchoor (dry mango powder) – 1 Tbsp
• Jaifal (netmeg) – 1 small piece (1/8 ^th of a whole)
• Javitri (mace) – 1 small piece (1/6^th of a whole)
• Kasoori Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) – 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. Wash the chickpeas & soak them in 5-6 cups of water for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
2. To make dark coloured chole make a tea bag of 1.5 tsp of black tea leaves, 1 black cardamom and a bay leaf. Put all these in a metal/silicone tea bag or make one by tying all these in a small muslin/ cotton cloth. Keep the bag a little loose so that the tea leaves and cardamom have room for expanding. This step is optional but highly recommended.
3.  Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas along with the water they were soaked in + 2 more cups, salt to taste and the tea bag. Keep the heat medium. It takes about 30 minutes for the chickpeas to cook through. They should be soft enough to be pressed between your fingers.
4. Make a paste of onions, garlic cloves, ginger and green chillies. Keep aside.
5. Dry roast nutmeg and mace on a heavy skillet on low to medium heat for about a minute. Keep aside.
6. Dry roast cumin, cloves and black pepper corns on a heavy skillet on medium heat till cumin turns dark brown. It will take about 2 minutes. The cloves will turn whitish and the pepper corn will also puff up. These three dark-roasted spices help lend a deep colour to the dish. This is the special black masala. Keep aside.
7. Dry roast anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) on medium heat for 30-40 seconds. Anardana is slightly sticky; roasting it removes the moisture and helps in grinding it easily. Keep aside.
8. In a grinder jar, add all the roasted spices, kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and amchoor (dried mango powder). Grind to a fine powder. Keep aside. This is the chole masala. You can make it in a large batch and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
9. In a heavy bottomed, large kadhai/pan heat 3-4 Tbsp oil.
10. Add the onion paste and cook on medium heat till the paste begins to release oil. You will see oil releasing from the sides. Keep stirring in-between. It is important to cook onions properly or they will taste raw and unpleasantly sweet. It will take about 12-15 minutes for the onions to cook.
11. Once onions are cooked, add the boiled chickpeas along with the water they were boiled in. Remove the tea bag from the chickpeas before adding them to the onion paste. Keep the heat on medium.
12. Lightly mash the chole with a potato masher or with the back of the ladle. This will thicken the chole.
13. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and the ground chole masala to the chole. Mix well.
14. Let chole simmer on medium to high heat for 7-8 minutes. Keep stirring in between.
15. Chole will turn thick and darker even more because of the masalas.
16. Add water and simmer if you like it a little thin. Simmer it for longer if you prefer a thicker consistency.
17. Hot and spicy Punjabi chole are ready. Serve them with bhature or pooris for the ultimate comfort food experience.

Recipe video: