Punjabi Chole Masala recipe with step by step photos – This chole masala curry is staple food at my home. It is a delicious chana curry from Punjabi cuisine, which is popular in all over India. A spicy and tempting thick curry dish is prepared from white chickpeas (kabuli chana), tomatoes, onion with basic Indian spices & flavorful with some dry spices yum.
This is best accompaniment with bhatura(deep fried puffed Indian bread) and poori too.
Dinner : Chole-Bhature with coriander chutney and salad
This recipe is adapted from my mother kitchen. She prepares very well and too delicious. It is very popular North Indian dish.Chole bhature is mine and my family’s favorite dish. I think this is everyone's fav dish. When living in delhi & meerut, we would get awesome chole bhature in many places.
In this recipe, channa are boiled with tea water to get darken color with homemade fresh chole masala powder is prepared to get restaurant style flavor...
Chickpeas are an excellent source of nutrients, iron, fiber and protein, it's overall a healthy ingredient.
Chole also tastes good with steamed rice or jeera rice, kulcha, butter naan, lachha paratha and Poori pair very well with this dish.
If you are looking for more authentic punjabi recipes then do check kala chana, amritsari chole, kabuli chole, Maa chole di dal, dal makhani, aloo-gobi-matar, aloo-methi and so on.
Learn how to make this delicious curry at your home with this easy step by step recipe with photos.
CategoryCuisinePrep TimeCook timeTotal timeServes
Main CoursePunjabi - North Indian9 hrs (Soaking Time)45 Minutes9 hrs 45 Minutes4-5
Ingredients :
Chickpeas (white chickpeas, kabuli chana or chole) - 1 cup [soaking overnight and 2.5 to 3 cups water for pressure cooking the chickpeas] or (If you don't have time for soaking, See the tips** below)
Salt - 1/2 tspPinch of soda
For the Tea water/decocotion
Water - 1 cup
Black Tea Leaves - 2 to 3 tbspFor the masala
Onion, chopped - 2 nos
Medium size tomatoes, chopped - 3-4 nosGinger-garlic paste - 1tsp
Green chillies - 1 nos (slit or julienned)[optional]
Indian Spices
Turmeric powder/haldi - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder/lal mirch powder - 1/2 tspGaram masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Amchur powder/dry mango powder - 1 tsp
Water or the stock in which the chickpeas were cooked - 1 to 1.25 cups
Oil - 1.5 to 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Spices for the homemade punjabi chole masala
Black cardamoms/elaichi - 2 no
Cinnamon/dal-chini - 1 inch
Black Peppercorns/sabut-kali mirch - 3 to 4 no
Black Cloves/laung - 2
Bay leaf/tej patta - 2 small
Carom seeds/ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds/dhania - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds/saunf - 1 tsp
Dry red chilies - 1 or 2
Chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta for garnish
Preparation Method :
1. Rinse and soak the chole (chickpeas) in enough water overnight. Add enough amount of water as the chole increase in size after soaking it. Rinse the soaked chickpeas.
Note : Make a tea decoction --> In a pan add 1 cup of water, then add 2 tsp of tea in it, boil..boil..boil and sieve it in a bowl and keep it aside.
2. To give a dark color to the chana - Pressure cook the soaked white chickpeas with sweet soda, decoction tea water and salt. After 4-5 whistles, turn off the flame and let the pressure comes down naturally.
3. Open the lid and Drain the excess water to use later in the recipe from boiled chickpeas in a large bowl.
4. By now the chana will be cooked, the chole should be soft when you mash it with a spoon. You will see a darker brown shade in the safed (white chana).
5. Dry roast bay leaf, black cardamom, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cumin seeds, carom seeds, black peppercorns, dry red chilli, cloves, saunf and cinnamon in a pan until nice aroma starts or for around 1-minute over low flame. Let them cool for a while and then grind them in a small jar of a mixer grinder to make smooth dry punjabi masala powder.
6. For making masala - Grind onion, tomatoes, garlic cloves, ginger and green chillies(optional) in a mixer to make a thick paste, add 1 tbsp of water(if it is required).
7. Heat 3-tablespoons cooking oil in a kadai or pan over medium flame. Add grind-ed onion-tomato masala in it, mix it well.
8. Mix well and cook in a low flame till the masala is cooked. When masala is leaving oil in around, it means your masala is cooked. Add boiled chickpeas, mashed chickpeas. Stir well.
9. At that time you can add salt (adjust it according to your taste) with add about 1 to 1.25 cups of the stock in which the chana was boiled or you can also plain water instead. Stir and cover the chana.
10. Cook until gravy becomes thick, it will take around 4-5 minutes.
11. Add amchur powder (dry mango powder) now and stir. Turn off the flame and transfer white chana masala curry to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
12. Serve the punjabi chole with kulchas, bhatura, pooris, roti, along with sliced onions, cucumber and lime pickle.
*Tips & Tricks*
* If you do not have enough time to soak chickpeas, then soak them in hot water for 3-4 hours. Pressure cook the soaked white chickpeas with pinch of baking soda and salt.
* If pressure cooker is not available, you can also use a deep pan to boil chickpeas but it would take more time to cook.
* You can also use ready-made chole masala powder (around 1 teaspoon) instead of homemade fresh punjabi chole masala powder in this recipe.
* Adjust the amount of water in step-9 to make thick or thin gravy.
Happy Cooking and Enjoy !!
If you decide to make this dish, I would love to see how it turned out for you.
Drop me an email with pics at [email protected]
