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Chole (also known as chana masala or chole masala) is a chickpea-based North Indian dish. It is spicy, rich, and has a faint taste of citrus. In India, the dish is often enjoyed with bhatoora, a type of fried bread. You can also find it in countries outside of India, from places like British Indian restaurants to the frozen food aisle at an American Trader Joe's. If you want to know how to make your own chole, see Step 1 to get started.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas (kabuli channa)
- 2 diced potatoes
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. coriander leaves (dhania)
- 1 tbsp. cumin powder (jeera)
- 2 tbsp. chilli powder
- 1 tbsp. mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 tbsp. chole masala
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
- 3 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 bay leaves
- For garnish:
- 1 sliced tomato
- 1 chili pepper
- 2 tbsp. chopped coriander
- slice of lemon
- Cooking time: 30 minutes
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Serves 3-4 people
Steps
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1Soak the chickpeas in cold water for at least 6 hours. You should soak 1 cup of dried chickpeas in cold water overnight, or even for 24 hours to get the best results. Alternately, if you're short on time, you can just use a can of chickpeas instead of completing the soaking process, but your dish won't be quite as tasty.
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2Cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker. After you've soaked the chickpeas, also known as channa, you can drain and rinse them before placing them in a pressure cooker. Pour just enough water to cover the chickpeas into the pressure cooker. Place 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 bay leaves in the cooker and cook the chana for about 20 minutes, until it is just a bit tender; the chickpeas will soften up more after you fry them. You can also use a heavy saucepan if you don't have a pressure cooker.Advertisement
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3Fry the potatoes in a saucepan with ghee. Heat three tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a saucepan and place 2 diced potatoes in it. Fry the potatoes until they are soft, for around 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are done cooking, remove them from the pan but leave the ghee in it.
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4Fry the coriander leaves, cumin, and chili powder in the same saucepan for a few seconds. Use the remaining ghee you used to cook the potatoes to fry 2 tablespoons of coriander leaves (dhania), 1 tablespoon of cumin (jeera powder), and 2 tablespoons of chili powder.
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5Add the boiled chickpeas to the saucepan and fry for 5 minutes. Add the boiled chickpeas to the frying pan and stir them with the under ingredients. Set the pan to low-to-medium heat.
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6Add the chole masala, mango powder, and black pepper powder and cook for 2 minutes. After you've fried the chickpeas with some of the other spices and ghee, add 1 tablespoon of mango powder, 1 tablespoon of chole masala, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder. Stir the ingredients together.
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7Add the diced potatoes and tomato to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the 2 cooked diced potatoes and the 1 sliced tomato to the pan. When you're done, remove the dish from the pan and place it on a plate.
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8Add garnish. Add garnish to the dish by placing tomato slices around the plate, placing a chili pepper over it, and sprinkling it with chopped coriander.
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9Serve. You can serve this tasty dish with bhatoora, puris, barley, or rice. You can also top it with sour cream and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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10Consider making another variation of chole. You can make a variation of this dish by using different spices or veggies while following a similar process. Try making some of these variations of chole:
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow much chole should be prepared for 15 to 20 people?
Community AnswerIt depends if you have side dishes or any other vegetables along. For 15 to 20 people, one kilogram or a bit more should suffice. -
QuestionHow much dried cholla is needed for 6 people?Community AnswerDepending on what you making, most recipes call for 2 cups for 5 to 6 people.
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QuestionHow do I determine how much chole I should prepare for multiple people?
Community AnswerDal soaked overnight doubles in size, so 1/4 cup unsoaked per person is reasonable.
References
- ↑ http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/methi-chole-punjabi-methi-chole/
- ↑ http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/palak-chole-recipe-palak-chole/
- ↑ http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/chana-masala-with-coconut/
- http://www.mendosa.com/recipe20.htm
- http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/punjabi-chole-chickpeas-in-a-spicy-gravy/
- http://madteaparty.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/punjabi-chhole-chickpeas/
- http://www.chow.com/recipes/30267-chole-chana-masala
About This Article
If you want to cook chole, soak a cup of dried chickpeas in cold water overnight, then cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes. Heat ghee in a saucepan and fry some cubed potatoes for about 10 minutes, then remove the potatoes from the pan and fry coriander leaves, cumin, and chili powder for a few seconds. Add the boiled chickpeas to the saucepan and fry them for about 5 minutes, then add the rest of your ingredients. Garnish the dish with tomato slices and serve it with bhatoora, barley, or rice. Keep reading to learn how to make a variation on chole made with fenugreek leaves!
