Punjabi Chole

I am sure most of us make Chole by adding the readymade Chole Masala that is readily available in the market.  I also used Chole Masala to make this dish whenever I am in a hurry.

Combination of Chole & Bhatoora is very popular... My husband and kids would prefer to order this combination when we got out to the hotel.  I have made mini Bhatoora at home... and will soon be experimenting to make the big Bhatoora in the restaurant style :)

I always use to wonder how the dish got a brownish colour and once I was chatting with Kanchan Dingra (one of my friend's in my society) she mentioned that the brown colour to this dish was because of the tea leaves.   I used a readymade tea packet while cooking the Chole.

I must admit, that I don’t anymore rely on the packaged chole masala since I have tried and tested the below recipe which I got from a cookbook.

I was returning back from office the other day and my colleague, Dinesh Bisht was discussing about Chole that is served in the Streets of Delhi.. I told him that I have never been to Delhi so not sure about the taste.  When I reached home that evening, I soaked the Chole overnight, kept all the ingredients ready and next day morning made fresh Masala and prepared the Punjabi Chole.  I packed some for Dinesh and my other colleagues to office.  I did not receive any ping from Dinesh after lunch and I assumed that he forgot to tell me how the dish tasted... That evening due to bad health I returned back home a bit early and hence did not meet Dinesh in the bus.

The next day morning, he returned the tiffin back to me and said Mam.. Thank you very much the Chole was awesome... it reminded me of home cooked food. I enjoyed my dinner yesterday night... He had forgotten to eat it in the afternoon and had it for dinner with his friends :) 

Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea preparation with spices and ingredients. The kabuli chana or chole are boiled along with tea leaves tied in a muslin cloth and then cooked in a delicious spicy gravy.

Note this recipe to make Punjabi Chole from my Adukkala (my kitchen)!

Ingredients :

Kabuli Chana / chick peas - 1 cup

Tea leaves - 1 tsp tied in Muslin cloth or tea bag

Cardamom -2

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 2

For the paste :

Garlic 5 to 6 cloves

Onion - 2 large

Grated ginger -1 tsp

Chopped Corrainder - 2 tbsp

Green Chillies - 2 to 3

For the gravy

Ajwain (Carrom Seeds) - 1/4 tsp

Kasoori Methi / dried fenugreek leaves)- 1 tsp

Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander - Cumin powder - 2 tsp

Amchur Powder (dry mango powder)- 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/4th tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Black Salt - 1/4th tsp

Salt to taste

Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup

Pinch of sugar

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash the chana and soak it in water overnight.  In the morning, drain the water and add 2 cups of water, tea bag / tea leaves in a muslin cloth, Cardamom, Cloves, & Cinnamon  and pressure cook for 10 minutes.  We need to ensure that the Chole is soft but not meshy.  Remove the water and keep aside for the gravy.

Now get the paste ready by grinding all the above ingredients to a fine paste.

To make the gravy, use iron kadhai or normal kadhai.  Heat the oil, add the prepared paste and fry till the oil starts oozing out.  Now add the ajwain seeds, kasoori methi, red chlli, turmeric, coriander cumin powder, amchur and pepper powder, garam masala, black and normal salt, pinch of sugar and saute for a minute on low flame.  Add the tomato puree and fry till the oil oozes out.

To this add the boiled chole and the reserved water from the cooked chole and cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, shredded ginger, green chillies and lemon and serve hot with Bhatoora, Puri or Chapati's.