There is no north Indian caterer, who would not be judged on his skills, by this dish. The quintessential ‘Punjabi Chole’ or ‘Channa Masala’ .Better known as the versatile chickpeas curry.Use it for main course, as the mighty Chole.Use it in appetizer like ‘Chole tikki’ by serving fried potato patties and chutneys.As ‘Chaat’ by topping a samosa or kachori. Serve it as breakfast as the ‘Channa bhatura’ or ‘Chole Bhature’.Basically,fried pancakes served with chickpeas.
You will fall in love with this curry over and over again.
You can make it many ways.Make your own spice blends.Even canned chickpeas work for a quick fix.Although there is nothing like making it from scratch.
I even love eating some boiled chickpeas on the go.
Best part of this gravy is it makes the dish plentiful.You serve it with love and richness.
There are many people who owe a living to chole bhature or chole kulche across north India.
Such is the love for this chickpea masala.
The taste may vary and change with every cook in the house yet it conquers all.
Scroll below to read the recipe of Punjabi Chole or Channa Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cup(250 gm) chickpeas or kabuli chana/chole
- 2 tbsp channa/mung dal
- 4 small elaichi/choti elaichi
- 2 Black cardamom/badi elaichi
- 1/4 cup tbsp coriander seeds/dhania
- 2-3 bay leaves/tej patta
- 1 cinnamon stick/dalchini
- 1 tsp black pepper/sabut kali mirch
- 1 tsp methi
- 3-4 cloves/laung
- 1 tbsp. cumin seeds/jeera
- 1 tbsp. dry pomegranate seeds/anardana or 2 tbsp. amchur
- 1 to 2 dry red chillies/sookhi lal mirch
- 3 tbsp Oil/tel
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste/adrak-lassan paste
- 2 Green chilies/hari mirch
- 2 large Onion, finely chopped/pyaz
- 3 medium sized Tomato, pureed/tamatar
- 2 tsp Red chili powder/lal mirch powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder/haldi
- **Powdered chana masala powder(prepared above)
- Salt as per taste/namak
- 2 -1/2 cups of water
- 1/2 tsp Garam masala
- Few onion rings/pyaz ke lachche
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the chole (chickpeas) in enough water overnight, atleast for 7-8 hours. As chole increases in size add good quantity of water. Rinse the soaked channa.
- In a pan, take all the whole spices mentioned above that needs to be dry roasted.
- Roast the spices on low flame till they get extra browned.
- Let theses roasted spices cool and then grind them finely in a dry grinder.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Saute them till the color changes to light brown.
- Add chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent or light brown.
- Add gramflour and roast it in the oil with the onion till the color changes to light brown. Do not saute this on high flame as gramflour tend to burn quickly on high flame.
- Add tomato puree & saute them till they soften. Cook on medium flame until oil starts to seperate.
- Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder and powdered chana masala
- Stir the dry masala and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the soaked chole, salt and about 3 cups of water. Pressure cook the chana for 2 to 3 whistles on high flame and 6 to 7 whistles on low flame.
- The chana should be cooked well. Chana should be soft when you mash it with a spoon.
- Garnish chole with coriander leaves, garam masala and onion rings
- Serve the punjabi chole with kulchas, bhaturas, pooris, rotis, along with sliced onions, tomatoes and lime. Chole also tastes good with steamed rice or jeera rice.
Notes: You can boil the chole first and then add the boiled chole to the gravy. Simmer it with the gravy on low flame for 10-15 mins. 2. If you don't have dried pomegranate seeds then add lemon juice toward the end. 3. Although home masala masala provides a nice aroma to this recipe you can also use Everest chana masala.
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