Chole recipe is a hugely popular recipe that can be made at home easily. This is a traditional dish from Punjab and often regarded as Punjabi chole masala.

We are going to make a easy chole recipe with step by step pictures and video.

There is no special tricks to make a restaurant or dhaba style chole recipe at home. Just follow some simple step by step tips. You can make a taste and chatpata chole recipe at home.

Boiling chole(chickpeas) 

This is the first step to make the dried chole which is known as garbanzo beans in English soft and cook easily. It is also known as Chickpeas or Bengal gram. Kabuli chana is another popular term of it in India.

Take the chickpeas in a deep vessel utensil and add enough water to soak overnight or atleast 3 - 4 hours.

Next day they you can see them become almost double in size. This happens due to a molecular process called osmosis. 

Drain and wash them nicely for 2 -3 times. Add them in a pressure cooker with tea bags, some whole spices and salt. Cook them for 8 to 10 whistles in medium high heat flame or around 10 minutes. Remove the cooker and let the steam pass naturally. There is no need to add some baking soda. Open the lid and check them. If little hard then go for 2 more whistles. 

Masala for chole

The taste of chole should be little tangy. Then it become more yummy and tasty. Generally the store brought chole masala has that tangy flavour in it so if you use them then 'no need to add any amchur  powder in the recipe.

If not using chole masala then you can add dried Amla while boiling them. And use amchur powder or some tamarind paste to make it little bit tangy.

Gravy for chole

The gravy for chole should be thick and masaledar. Use pureed onion and tomato. For 2 cup chickpeas use around four medium size onion and 5 tomatoes.  Use some mashed boiled chickpeas into the gravy to make it more thick and tasty.

Tadka(tempering) for chole

This is a important step to give the chole its traditional flavour. Ginger and green chili with deshi ghee make a perfect chole tadka. Use Julienne ginger and slits green chili for that. You can additionally add some garlic into the tadka.

Serving the chole

The real taste of chole comes when served with chopped onion and lemon wedges. They are inseparable. Add some chopped onion and lemon juice over the chole to double its taste.

Bhature or puri is the best choice while serving chole. You can easily make bhature at home while making the chole. Bhature is made from maida and deep fried in hot oil till light golden.

For that use maida(all purpose flour), curd and suji rawa( semolina) while making the dough. Rest the dough for 30 minutes to set and then roll and deep fry to serve chole bhature. 

Kulcha, onion kulcha and amritsari kulcha are popular choice to serve with chole.

How to make Amritsari chole

Amritsar is the capital city of Punjab and chole from there is one of the most popular chole recipe you can try. Amritsari chole is served with a kulcha known as amritsari kulcha. 

Anar Dana( pomegranate seeds) , carom seeds (ajwain) and amchur powder are some additional ingredients to make a amritsari chole. Use carom seeds before frying the pureed onions. And crush dried pomegranate seeds in a mixer grinder and add them with amchur powder and other spices while making the gravy. 

You can make this chole recipe for Jain faith as well. Escape to use pureed onions and ginger garlic paste in the recipe. Add some more mashed chickpeas to make the chole gravy thick. This is the easy procedure to make a chole recipe without onion and garlic. 

Similarly you can avoid to use tomato as well to make a chole recipe.

 

Popular Punjabi recipes to make

• tandoori chicken recipe
• Murgh makhani recipe
• Palak paneer recipe
• Bhindi masala
  
• Shalgam ki subzi
  

For more details you can read Health line article.

Chole (chickpeas) recipe is a popular Punjabi recipe made with lots of flavoured spices and chole masala powder. Soaked chickpeas are boiled and seasoned with tomato onion gravy with spices. Goes well with bhature or puri.

Prep time              cooking time        serving

15 min                    40 min                       5

Author                    Mobasir hassan

Ingredients

For boiling the chole

• 2 cup chole (chickpeas) 

• 1 bay leaf (tez patta)

• 3 - 4 green cardamom ( elaichi)

• 1 inch cinamom stick (dalchini)

• 4 - 5 peppercorns ( kalimirch)

• 2 - 3 cloves (lung)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 tea bags

• 5 cups water

For making  the gravy

• 3 medium big onions pureed

• 4 medium size tomato pureed

• 1 big teaspoon ginger garlic paste

• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

• 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

• 1/3 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1/3 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1 big teaspoon chole masala

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed fenugreek leaves

• 3 teaspoon cooking oil

• Salt as per taste

For tadka(tempering)

• 1 green chili slits

• 1 inch ginger cut into julienne

• Some chopped coriander leaves

• 1 teaspoon pure ghee

How to make the recipe

1. Soak the chole( chickpeas) overnight with enough water to be soften and digestible. 
2. Drain and wash them for 2 - 3 times next morning.
3. In a pressure cooker add the chole, tea bags, green cardamom, cinamom stick, bay leaf, black peppercorns and salt.
4. Pour 5 cup water and close the lid. Pressure cook them in medium high flame for 8 - 9 whistles or for around 10  to 12 minutes.
5. After that remove the cooker and let the steam pass naturally.
6. Drain and remove the whole spices. Keep the water reserved to use in the chole gravy.

1. Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a deep vessel pan or kadai. When the oil become hot add the pureed or chopped onions.
2. Fry the onions till they become light brown. Then add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and fry till their raw smell goes.
3. Now add the tomato puree and give a nice stir to mix with the onions.
4. Cook them for 8 - 10 minutes so that the tomatoes get cooked properly.
5. Add 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1/3 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/3 teaspoon cumin powder and 1 big teaspoon chole masala powder.
6. Mix and cook the masala for 1 minute. If it become dry add 2 - 3 teaspoon water and cook the masala.

1. Add the boiled chickpeas stir and mix nicely with the masala. Pour the reserved water and salt as per taste.
2. Now add the mashed chickpeas into the gravy and cover. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes to thicken the gravy.
3. After that add water according to your desired consistency of the chole gravy.
4. Add crushed fenugreek leaves, chopped coriander leaves  mix with the chole and remove.
5. Heat one teaspoon pure ghee in a pan and fry slits green chili and ginger julienne till light crisp.
6. Pour this tadka over the chole and serve them.

                            Video

                            Nutritional value

• Calories : 204
• Fats : 7 g
• Protein : 7 g
• Carbohydrate : 25 g

• Chole is best to serve with bhature or puri. Breads likes tandoori roti, naan and Paratha can be served with it as well.

• Chopped onion and lemon wedges are a must to serve with chole.

                           Recipe notes

• This chole recipe is not spicy. Add some green chili paste to make it spicy according to your taste.

More popular  recipes

Veg biryani recipe

Chilli chicken recipe