Chole (chick pea curry)

Chole
(Chickpeas curry)

Chole is Punjab’s most favorite dish, popular all over North India. It is a spicy, mouth watery and delicious dish. Chole is prepared with Kabuli chana (chick peas). First kabuli chanas are soaked overnight then after boiling they are simmered in spicy gravy made by onion, garlic, tomatoes and aromatic spices. Chole is traditionally served with bhatura, the combination known as chole bhature, but they can be served with rice, poories, chapatti or parathas.

Chloe’s are enjoyed by the people of all age group. There is not any wedding or lunch or dinner party's menu complete without it. You will find chole in all most all the Indian restaurants all over the world. Chickpea Curry not only tastes good it is packed with healthy ingredients. It is easy to make and is even better if made in advance and kept for a day before eating. Chick pea Curry also freezes very well so make extra and eat it whenever you feel like eating spicy food. I always enjoy making this dish.

Ingredients for chole masala:  

3    Medium onions
1    Tablespoon minced garlic
2   Medium ripe tomato - purred or 2
      tablespoons tomato sauce
2   Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2    Medium green chilies- chopped-
     (Remove the seeds and membrane to
      reduce the heat)
2    Teaspoons coriander powder
½   Teaspoon red chili powder
½   Teaspoon turmeric powder
1    Pinch of asafetida (Hing)
½  Teaspoon garam masala or to your taste
1    Teaspoon chat masala or chana masala
½ Teaspoon tamarind pulp (Imli pulp)
1    Teaspoon sugar (optional)
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Ingredients for boiling chick peas:

1   Pound chickpeas(Garbanzo beans)
1 Teaspoon cumin seeds
2 Bay leaves
1” Stick of cinnamon
2    Black cardamoms-optional (badi
      elichai)
1½ Teaspoons salt or to your taste
1    Teaspoon of vegetable oil
2    Tea Bags (optional)

Ingredients for garnishing:

¼    Cup fine chopped onions
¼    Cup of fine chopped coriander
       leaves

Optional ingredients for garnishing:

2 Tablespoons of fine sliced fresh
       ginger
¼ Cup grated white horse radish
2     Small green chilies- fine chopped

Cooking measurement conversion
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Onions, Tomatoes, Ginger, Garlic, Green chili &
Tamarind Pulp

Chole (Chickpeas)

Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Black Cardamoms, Cumin Seeds
& Tea Bags

Coriander Leaves & Chopped Onions

Directions for boiling the chick peas:

1. Pick the stones out from the chick peas, add them in a pressure cooker and
wash, changing water several times until the water appears clear and then
soak them in 6 cups of water over night or at least 8 hours.

Soak Chickpeas (Chole) in water

Chickpeas are soaked

2. Once chickpeas are soaked, wash and rinse them and add them in the Pressure
cooker.

3. Add 5 cups of water, Cumin seeds, Bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black cardamoms, salt, 1 teaspoon oil & 2 tea bags cover the lid of pressure cooker with the weight & let them cook on medium high heat. (While chick peas are boiling they create lot off foam to avoid that little oil is add to the chick peas)

Add Soaked Chole in Pressure cooker

Add Cumin seeds, Cinnamon, Cardamoms, Bay leaves Tea Bags, salt & oil

Chickpeas water is foaming

Close the Pressure cooker

4. In about 10 to 12 minutes pressure cooker will start steaming turn the heat
    down to medium and let the chick peas cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turn the
     heat off and wait until steam goes down. Different brand of cooker required
    different time to cook.

5. Once the steam of the pressure cooker goes down open the lid, with the spoon
    squeeze the tea bags and take them out. (Tea bags are added to chole’s to give
  nice color)

Open the Pressure cooker

Squeeze the Tea bags out

6. After cooking 25 minutes chick peas should become tender if not then close the
pressure cooker and cook them little longer.

Chickpeas become tender

Boiled chickpeas

Direction for making the masala for cholas:

1. Use a food chopper or blender to puree the onions and garlic. Mixture should
      be coarse.

2. On high heat add the oil in a nonstick frying pan or a heavy bottom stainless
    steel frying pan.  Add onion and garlic puree and sauté, while periodically
    stirring. Onions will have a lot of water so for the first 8 to 10 minutes keep
    the heat high so that all the onion water evaporates quickly.

Minced onions & Garlic

In a pan add oil, minced onion, garlic

3. While onion mixture cooks add the tomato to the same food chopper or
blender and puree.

4. Once the onion water has evaporated turn the heat down to medium and let the
onions cook for 8 to 9 minutes, frequently stir the onions.

5. Once the onions become light brown add Coriander powder, Red chili powder,
Turmeric powder and mix with the fried onions and fry for few seconds.

Onions become light brown

Add Coriander powder, Red chili powder and Turmeric powder

Mix the spices with fried onions

Add tomato puree and mix

6.  Add tomato puree. With the tomato puree onion masala become watery turn
     the heat high for 2 to 3 minutes, so that water evaporates quickly, and then turn
     the heat down. Keep stirring the onion masala frequently.

7.    In about 5 to 6 minutes tomato puree and onion will blend together.

8.   Once all the water has evaporated and you see the oil in the pan that means
     the onion masala is done. Turn the stove off.

Mix Tomato puree with fried Onions & spices

Onion masala is done

Directions for making the Cholas:

1. Transfer the onion masala from frying pan to the cooker, add 1 cup of water, with the cooking spoon mix the onion masala and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, keep the heat to medium,stirring periodically.

After boiling the chick peas open the pressure cooker

Add onion masala in boiled chick peas

2.   With the cooking spoon mash some of the chick peas this will thicken
      the gravy and  the peas and onion masala will blend in together.

3. Once chick peas become tender and gravy start becoming thick add tamarind
      pulp, sugar, chat masala, garam masala, grated ginger, chopped, green chilies
      and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. If the gravy looks thick, add some more water.

Mix onion masala well with chick peas

Chick peas become tender

Add grated ginger,chopped green chilies and the other ingredients

Add Garam masala and mix

Add Imli pulp and mix

With a spoon mash some chick peas

4.   Once you have the desired consistency of gravy turn the stove off.

5.   When ready to serve transfer cholas into a serving dish and garnish with
      chopped onions, chopped green chilies and chopped coriander leaves.

Chole’s are ready

Chole (Chick pea curry)

Tips:

1. Use pressure cooker for cooking chole, otherwise it takes too long to cook
chole.(chick peas)

2. Tea bags are added to chole’s to give nice color. If you do not have tea bags then you can boil 2 teaspoon of tea leaves, then strain the tea water and add to the chole.

Tea water

Add Tea water in chole

3. You can also take some tea leave and tie them and place the cloth in into boiling chick peas. You could also use tea infuser.

Place some tea leave in cloth

Tie the knot

Tea infuser

4. If you like chole (chickpeas) to look very dark brown then add 1 teaspoon of soda bicarbonate.

5. If you did not plan and do not have time to soak the beans, then try Power soaking me thod

Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.

Thank you

Geeta Seth

Other recipes:

Black beans                                                        Bhature

Rajma (Red kidney beans)                               Poori

Lima beans                                                     Power soaking the beans

Boiled white rice                                           paratdar roti (Layered paratha)

Lachha paratha (Spiral layered paratha)    Mughali paratha

Chole (Chickpeas curry)

Chole
(Chickpeas curry)