Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala

Amritsari Chole Masala is one of the ace delicacies of PUNJABI CUISINE. Today I’m going to share with you Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala, which is an excellent party or potluck recipe loved by most of us. It has got delectable spicy flavour with equally tempting dark texture. Many of the folks out there strive to get that perfect dark texture along with that authentic flavour, and even I was not an exception. The authenticity of Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala appears in flavour, colour, texture and aroma. Boiling chickpeas along with tea bag and skipping turmeric helps in acquiring that dark-coloured texture. Usage of the specific freshly ground spice mixture provides authenticity in flavour.

This Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala is famous because of it’s distinct black colour gravy. The dark colour is attributed to tea that is used in this recipe. There are many ways of incorporating tea in chole masala. Some add one or two tea bags while boiling chickpeas in pressure cooker. If you do not have tea bags you can even tie some tea powder in a muslin cloth and add. When the chole is boiled this way, it soaks the tea colour and gets it’s distinct dark colour. Other alternative is to use plain tea water to cook the gravy.

There are many health benefits to eating chickpeas. Their high protein content is perfect for those wishing to replace red meat in their diet. Chickpeas are also high in fibre and help to lower cholesterol. Today, chickpeas are popular among all parts of the world, more so in North Africa, Spain and India, where the chickpea is a staple for India’s largely vegetarian cuisine.

Did you know that when conniving Mughal upstart Aurangzeb imprisoned his father, Emperor Shah Jahan, in Agra Fort in 1657, he was allowed to choose just one thing to eat every day for the rest of his life. The old man chose chickpeas because the prison cook told him he would be able to prepare something different every day of the year.

Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala is best enjoyed with Bhatura which is a deep-fried Indian bread made of all purpose flour or maida. Chole Bhatura is an absolutely decadent treat that is a must-try if you visit Delhi. It is one of Delhi’s many Punjabi specialties.

What makes Chole Bhatura truly so special? Chole Bhatura is an incredibly wholesome meal and an amazingly satisfying dish. Of course onions, chilli and a splash of lemon adds a kick to the dish. The greatest thing about Chole Bhatura is perhaps the fact that there are no rules for it’s ingestion. You can practically devour it at any time during the day.

These two dishes complement each other like anything. I guess Chole can be tried with any other supplement, but not bhatura. Bhatura tastes the best when it is dipped in the spicy gravy. For that matter Chole and paratha, Chole and puri may be acceptable but that zing is missing which you feel when there is bhatura.

Here is my take on Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala, truly a delight and guaranteed to bring the flavours of Delhi streets right into your home. Serve it with bhatura or oven-fresh naan.

Step-by-Step process in making Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala:

The preparation involves mainly 3 steps-

1. Boiling chickpeas
2. Preparing and assembling the masalas
3. Preparing the gravy for Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala

1. Boiling chickpeas:

• Soak chickpeas overnight or for at least 6 to 8 hours in water.

• Wash the chickpeas and add water, salt and baking soda.
• Add the tea bags into the pressure cooker. Close the lid of the cooker and let it boil them in a pressure cooker over high heat for one whistle.

• Now simmer the heat and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and wait till the pressure subsides. Transfer the boiled chickpeas to a bowl.
• Save the water left after removing boiled chickpeas to add to the gravy.
• Discard the tea bags.

NOTE: 

• Soaking is important for two main reasons. First, soaking dried chickpeas softens them, thereby cutting down the amount of time they need to cook. Second, the soaking process breaks down many of the gas-inducing sugars in the beans, thereby making them easier to digest.

2. Preparing and assembling the masalas:

• Blanch tomatoes for 10 minutes over medium heat.

• Remove the skin of blanched tomatoes and make a puree in a blender and set aside.
• Chop a large onion roughly and make a coarse paste in a blender.

• Grab rest of the ingredients.

3. Preparing the gravy:

• Heat a pan or a pressure cooker over medium heat and add the onion paste.

• Sauté until the moisture evaporates and then add the oil. This way you use less oil to fry the onion paste.

• To this add the dry seasonings and sauté for a minute. (You can also add the dry seasonings to the chickpeas while boiling in the pressure cooker)
• To this add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.

• Add the tomato puree and stir for 2 minutes.

• Add chopped green chillies, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chole masala, garam masala powder, amchur powder, coriander leaves and salt. Remember that you have already added salt while boiling chickpeas.

• Mix and roast the masala until the oil starts to float at the top of the masala. This may take 2 to 3 minutes. In my case the oil will not float as I have used very little oil.
• Add boiled chick peas, mix well and add 1 cup of water or as desired to get the required consistency.
• Also some of the cooked chickpeas can be mashed into the masala to make it a bit mushy n creamy.

• Close the lid oft he pressure cooker and cook it for 1 whistle over high heat. Turn off the heat.
• Open the cooker when the pressure subsides.

• Garnish with some coriander and serve Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala with Bhatura and some sliced/chopped onions and a lemon wedge.
• Squeeze in some lemon over the Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala, sprinkle some onions and dip the bhatura piece in the spicy gravy and enjoy.

Print Recipe

Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala

Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala is one of the ace delicacies of Punjabi Cuisine where chickpeas is prepared in a spicy concoction of freshly ground spices, provides authenticity in flavour, colour, texture and aroma.

Prep Time8 hours hrs

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time8 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4 to 6

Author: Padma

Ingredients

• To boil Chickpeas:
• 1 cup Black Chickpeas Kabuli Chana
• ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 Tea bags if you don't have tea bag, then take a white cloth and tie some tea into it
• 1½ cups water to boil chickpeas
• For the gravy:
• 1 large Onion ground coarsely in a blender
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 Tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
• 3 to 4 Tomato blanch, remove skin and puree
• 2 Green chillies finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Chole masala Use any brand
• ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoon Amchur powder dry mango powder
• Required salt to taste
• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped Coriander leaves divided
• Dry seasoning:
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 Star anise
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

• Boiling Chickpeas:
• Soak chickpeas overnight or for at least 6 to 8 hours in water.
• Wash the chickpeas and add water, salt and baking soda.
• Add the tea bags into the pressure cooker. Close the lid of the cooker and let it boil them in a pressure cooker over high heat for one whistle.
• Now simmer the heat and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and wait till the pressure subsides. Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl.
• Save the water left after removing boiled chickpeas to add to the gravy.
• Discard the tea bags.
• For the gravy:
• Heat a pan or a pressure cooker over medium heat and add the onion paste.
• Sauté until the moisture evaporates and then add the oil. This way you use less oil to fry the onion paste.
• To this add the "dry seasonings" and sauté for a minute. (You can also add the dry seasonings to the chickpeas while boiling in the pressure cooker)
• To this add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes off.
• Add the tomato puree and stir for 2 minutes.
• Add chopped green chillies, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chole masala, garam masala powder, amchur powder, coriander leaves and salt.
• Mix and roast the masala until the oil starts to float at the top of the masala. This may take 2 to 3 minutes. In my case the oil will not float as I have used very little oil.
• Add boiled chick peas, mix well and add 1 cup of water or as desired to get the required consistency.
• Also some of the cooked chickpeas can be mashed into the masala to make it a bit mushy n creamy.
• Close the lid oft he pressure cooker and cook it for 1 whistle over high heat. Turn off the heat.
• Open the cooker when the pressure subsides.
• Garnish with some coriander and serve Punjabi Style Amritsari Chole Masala with Bhatura and some sliced/chopped onions and a lemon wedge.

Notes

1. Adjust spice levels to suit your taste.
2. Adjust gravy to your desired consistency with water and cook.
3. If you do not like to use tea bags, you could skip but you will not get the dark colour to the gravy.
4. Baking soda is not strictly necessary, but it can be beneficial. The molecules in baking soda attach themselves to gas-inducing sugars in the chickpeas known as oligosaccharides. By binding to these sugars, baking soda can break them down and partially remove that gut felt odorous, gas producer from the structure of the chickpea.
5. You can also boil chickpeas in a sauce pan but it takes much longer. so pressure cooking chickpeas saves time and energy.

You may want to check out other popular posts from the PUNJABI CUISINE :

• Tandoori Chicken with Mint Coriander Relish
• Tandoori Paneer Tikka with grilled Veggies
• Masala Chaas
• Rice Kheer
• Paneer Butter Masala
• Roti
• Paratha
• Gajar Ka Halwa
• Mango Lassi
• Butter Chicken
• Punjabi boondi raita

And many more to come!!…..Stay Tuned!!

Happy Cooking 🙂

Cheers!!

Padma