Punjabi Chole (Chickpeas) Recipe

By Surbhi204
Punjabi Chole is quite a famous dish in North India ,Its high in protein with spicy flavors .It tastes great with Bhatura, puri or rice. First time I tried to make chole, it was in Hyderabad when Shivam told me why don't you make chole, So I went to a nearby departmental store and got Chole ( I didn't know at that time that there is difference between chole as well :P ) by mistake I got kale channe and soaked it in water as per mom's instructions , when Shivam saw it he said "these chole are usually made during navratri...so..well I didn't try to make it till we came to Boston, second time I got these boiled channe..and made it according to a recipe on internet but it was just alright nothing great.
This was my third attempt to make Chole and it came out so tasty :) .This recipe is adapted from Dassana's Punjabi Chole.

The Spices which are needed for the recipe.
Dry roast these spices in a pan.
Grind it into a fine powder.
 Vegetables needed for the recipe.
Add oil in a pan , once warm add Onions and ginger , saute it till Onions turn golden brown. 
Add Tomato to this mixture.  Add grounded spice powder and green chili to this mixture, and cook it for about 3-4 minutes

Add boiled chickpeas and salt and cook for a while then add amchur powder to this , mix it well.
Serve it hot with Onions accompanied with rice  , poori or Bhature.
Details of Recipe Ingredients :-
  1. 1 1/2 cup chickpeas
  2. 2 medium sized onions
  3. 2 medium size tomatoes
  4. 1 tsp ginger
  5. 1/2 tsp garam masala
  6. 1 tsp chilli powder
  7. 1 tsp amchur powder ( dry amngo Powder)
  8. 1 Green chili,finely chopped
  9. 1 tbsp oil
  10. salt as per taste
  11. 4-5 black cardamoms
  12. 1 inch cinnamon
  13. 5-6 peppercorns
  14. 3 cloves
  15. 1 bay leaf
  16. 1 1/2 tsp of  cumin seeds (jeera)
  17. 1 1/2 tsp of coriander powder
  18. 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
  19. 2 red chillies
Method :-
  1. Wash and soak the 1 and half cup chickpeas in about 4 cups  of  water overnight.
  2. In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas, enough water and salt and pressure cook for about 5-6 whistles. Once pressure cooked the chickpeas would be soft.
  3. In a pan, dry roast all the spices (4-5 black cardamoms,1 inch cinnamon,5-6 peppercorns,3 cloves,1 bay leaf,1 -1/2 tsp of  cumin seeds (jeera),1- 1/2 tsp of coriander powder,1- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf) , 2 red chillies)on a slow flame by stirring it in between so as not to burn it.Once cool, grind it into a fine powder.

  1. Now take a pan, add oil, once warm, add the chopped onions and ginger.Fry till it becomes golden brown. Cook it for about 3-4 minutes. 
  2. Add chopped tomatoes , green chili and  powdered spices, cook it for about 5 mins.
  3. Add the boiled chickpeas with a little quantity of broth, you can add more broth if you need thick gravy.Cook it for about 5-7 mins on a slow flame then add amchur powder.
  4. Our Punjabi Chole is ready to be relished. Serve it hot with Onions.