PANJABI CHOLE MASALA

Kabuli chana or chickpeas are a great source of protin, One of the best ways to make chickpeas is Punjabi Chole which goes very well with Bhature, Puri or Rice. It is a classic street dish from Delhi and is widely appreciated all over India. Basically a spicy chickpeas curry is cooked with onion, ginger-garlic paste and tomato puree tastes delicious.

Chole Masala or Punjabi Chole is one of the very delicious and irresistible Indian Curry which I like the most. In most of the North Indian restaurants and dhabas you will find this mind blowing and fabulous curry along with Punjabi Breads. You can prepare this North Indian curry for your lunch or dinner and have it with roti, paratha or naan whichever you like. I prepare this Punjabi Chole Masala quite often at my place as my family loves it a lot. In this recipe, I have followed the traditional way of making chole masala. Hope you all like it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Chole

1 big Onion, chopped

2 big Tomato, pureed

2-3 Green Chillies split lengthwise

2 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste

Dry Masala:

1 teaspoon Jeera

2 teaspoon Coriander Seeds

8-10 Black Pepper

1-1.5 inch Cinnamon stick

4-5 Cloves

1 Black Cardamom

6-7 dried Red Chillies

1 Bay leaf

Other Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli powder

½ teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Tea leaf (tea powder)

1 teaspoon Sugar

Cooking Oil

Salt

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Soak chole for 5-6 hours, overnight.

STEP 2 – In a cooker, add chole, water, and salt in it.

Add tea powder in a cloth

and then pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles.

STEP 3 – When chole are pressure cooked, release pressure completely and then open the pressure cooker.

STEP 4 – Then remove tea bag and discard it.

Remove the chick peas in a bowl

and reserve the excess water.

STEP 5 – Put a pan, dry roast the dry spices and roast them for 2 minutes.

STEP 6 – After 2 minutes, you start getting nutty aroma from the spices, turn off the flame and let them cool down completely.

STEP 7 – Grind them to a fine powder. Dry spicy powder is ready.

STEP 8 – In a blender, add 2 tablespoon cooked chole and grind it into coarse paste. This paste will be used to thicken the gravy.

STEP 9 – Take pan with 3 tablespoon oil.

Add chopped onion. Roast it well. Add green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 10 – Add tomato puree in it and cook with salt as per needed. We have added salt while cooking the chole in pressure cooker. So be careful.

STEP 11 – Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, sugar, spice powder and sauté it well.

STEP 12 – Add cooked chana in it along with the paste.

STEP 13 – Add water as your desired consistency. Water is used which is we have kept aside after pressure cooking.

STEP 14 - Cook it for another 7-8 minutes and switch off the flame.

Garnish it with chopped coriander

and serve it hot with bhatura or chapatti or paratha.