Use already cooked (like canned or freshly pressure cooked), or even just soaked chickpeas and some simple pantry ingredients available in any Indian food lovers’ pantry and this delicious, creamy, mouthwatering chole is ready to enjoy with rice, parathas, rotis etc.! I have made it so many times and every time, the taste is absolutely spot on and lip smacking even to just gorge on just by itself!
What is Chole/Chana Masala?
Chana masala or chole using chickpeas/garbanzo beans is a very popular north Indian curry with a spicy onion-tomato aromatic thick gravy and the love of every Indian food lover! But every corner of India has its own version. My tried and tested recipe is this one-pot chole or chana masala which my family has enjoyed for decades! It uses basic Indian pantry ingredients and spices like coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions etc. But the spice or flavor that adds depth and flavor to this delicious curry is chaat masala powder (or even amchoor or dry mango powder); a tangy, salty curry powder used mostly in street foods like chaat! It adds a lovely chatpata, lip smacking flavor profile to any curry but if you do not have this, you can omit it and substitute with a shower of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice while enjoying the chole. (See? It is absolutely a customizable and versatile recipe). I also love to use roasted cumin powder as opposed to regular cumin powder (just roast powdered cumin powder until starting to brown) as it adds a lovely unique aroma to any dish! All you need is to make the basic masala using onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic some spices and pressure cook overnight soaked chickpeas/chana or even canned ones in it for 30 minutes if using a pressure cooker or just 10 minutes if using canned! Easy peasy isn’t it?
Do I need to soak the chickpeas?
If you forget to soak the chickpeas overnight as many often end up doing (and I normally decide to make chole when I have a sudden craving for it and this does not leave any room for soaking overnight!), there is another fast method. Just add plenty of water to dry chickpeas, give it one boil and let soak for 1 hour. Drain and then use like overnight-soaked ones. Or if you are lazier, use canned chickpeas instead!
What do I serve this with?
Hey, of course crispy, puffy bhaturas, our family choice with chole or even puris (fried whole wheat bread).
Here, I served this mouthwatering Punjabi deliciousness with some fluffy multi grain flour METHI PURIS and a lip smacking spicy and tangy ONION GOJJU or chutney like they serve in the streets or stalls of Chandni Chowk the heart of street food delights in Delhi! For methi puris, I just made a stiff dough using multigrain flour, salt and a tablespoon of crushed dry fenugreek leaves or Kasoori methi, rolled into discs and deep fried to a crispy puffiness! But for those who do not like fried breads, enjoy a hot steaming bowl of spicy one-pot chole with any Indian flat bread like chapattis, parathas like Gobi Paratha, Mixed Vegetable Paratha or Methi Laccha Paratha, naan or even a bowl of hot steamed rice!
Of course, do not forget to shower the chole with finely chopped red onions (please, try to not use white onions for this!) and a dash of lime/lemon juice (fresh of course) before scooping it up with your bread! You can use your stove top pressure cooker or even an electric one (INSTANT POT) to make this delicious favorite of many! Serve these easy, tasty, spicy Chana Masala Curry with some hot, hot bhaturas, rotis, parathas or even hot steamed Basmati rice! Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
PIN or SHARE for later: Cook Time: 30 minutes
1 ½ cups dry chole chana/chickpeas 3 tbsp cooking oil 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera 5 to 6 methi seeds/fenugreek seeds 5 cloves 1 bay leaf 1 large onion, chopped 1 tbsp ginger paste/grated 2 tsp garlic paste/grated For onion-tomato puree: 1 large onion 1large tomato 2 green chilies/jalapenos Dry Spice Powders: 1 tsp haldi/turmeric powder 1tbsp red chilli powder (preferably Kashmiri chilli powder0 2 tbsp dhania/coriander powder 1 tbsp roasted jeera/cumin powder ¼ tsp hing/asafetida powder (optional) 1 tbsp kitchen King/garam masala/chole masala powder/garam masala 1 tsp tamarind paste/1 to 2 tsp amchur/chaat masala powder 2 whole black caradmoms/badi elaichi Salt to taste 1 tsp Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves, crushed/finely chopped coriander leaves or cilantro To serve: Finely chopped red onions Lime/lemon wedges
Instructions Notes For a lovely, natural tang, instead of bottle tamarind paste, try and use fresh tamarind available in most Indian stores. Just soak in some hot water and squeeze out the juice and use that. If you cannot find tamarind, just use chaat masala powder, amchur/dry mango powder or just squeeze in a splash of lemon juice just before enjoying. If you are using canned chickpeas, drain, rinse well and then add. Reduce the cooking time in instant pot to 10 minutes and stove top pressure cooker to one whistle. The curry thickens as it cools, so add water accordingly before serving. To make a thicker curry, blend a portion of the curry and mix in. To make roasted cumin powder, dry roast whole cumin for a few seconds in a small fry pan until it turns dark brown. Remove and place in a bowl. Once cool, pound or use a spice grinder to make a fine powder. Use this in chaats, curries, dry subzis etc. Adjust the amount of spices to suit your taste.
For more such curries, do try:
Amritsari Chole Dal Palak Curry Mushroom Tikka Masala Curry
I am sharing this with: Angie’s FiestaFriday along with co-hosts this week Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju.com and Debanita @ Canvassed Recipes If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page Don’t forget to follow me on: Facebook @ curryandvanilla Pinterest @ curryandvanilla Instagram @ curryandvanilla16 Twitter @ curryandvanilla Google Plus @ Vanitha Bhat Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!!
