Punjabi Chole

After all the appreciation I gathered on yesterday’s Punjabi chole preparation from all you beautiful people around, I decided to jot down the recipe to make it as easy for you as it was for me.

Ingredients I used:

Chole ( kabuli chana) 1/2 kg

Onions ½ kg

Tomatoes ½ kg

Amla powder 1 tsp

Amchoor (dry mango powder) 1 tsp

Green chillies 3-4

Grated Ginger 2 tbsp

Crushed garlic 2 tbsp

Salt 2-3 tsp

Red chilli powder 2 tsp

Chana masala 2 tsp

Garam masala

Coriander leaves

I washed and soaked the chana overnight. Pressure cooked for 20-30 minutes along with salt, chana masala and amla powder.

Since the chana took some time, I peeled the onions and sliced them till then. Then I reduced the tomatoes to pulp using a blender.

When the chanas were done (Ichecked them by pressing between my fingers. They were soft and mushy!), I added the onions (remember, simply raw, sliced onions), pureed tomatoes, some more chana masala, garam masala, red chilli powder.

Next, I sautéd ginger and garlic in some desi ghee along with a tsp of cumin seeds. When ginger and garlic started turning golden, I added them too to the pressure cooker.  Next, I added amchoor powder as well to confirm some tangy punch.

Remember, there still was some runny gravy left. Now I cooked them without the lid on low flame for some time. allowing onions to cook slightly and tomatoes to give away their colour to the gravy, I also let the gravy thicken. When the gravy turned to rich, Punjabi consistency, I turn off the flame.

Finally, I tasted the preparation and adjusted salt and amchoor according to the taste. They need to be spicy and tangy by law (Punjabi Food Act J ).  

When they were ready, I shifted them to the serving bowl and garnished them with onions rings, slit green chilies and coriander leaves (as shown in the image); sure to delight your guests, like mine ;)

Punjabi Chole are best served with Bhaturas, although hot, crunchy Puris also did justice to my Punjabi Chole.