“Pindi Chole” is a classic Punjabi dish. Here I am sharing an Pressure Cooker version of “Amritsari Pindi Chole” recipe that is easy to prepare and flavor loaded. “Chole” is also known as “Kabuli Chana”. Sharing a step by step pictorial recipe of the rich and spicy “Pindi Chole”, served as a side dish to Roti, Naan bread or Kulcha, and also tastes great with humble boiled Rice.
“Pindi Chole” is distinctively different from other “Chole” recipes. The regular Chole masala or curry are in red color. The major difference in preparing “Pindi Chole” is the dark color, as tea leaves are used while boiling the Chole. Further in some variations, even Chana Dal is added to make the curry thicker and there might be no need of adding onion, garlic and tomatoes. Basically, the notable difference of “Pindi Chole” is the tea leaves that makes the curry acidic and turns the chickpeas tender. There is a large assortment of spices as well, that goes into this recipe and the efforts are worth the flavors. The recipe tastes great when served next day as the spices would have infused properly. Do not miss out to read my TIPS on this recipe.
Some people may use readymade Chole masala powder, what if it is out of stock? I tried to make this recipe simply by adding individual spices, so it will be easy for you to try this recipe.
According to Ayurveda; spices like garlic, ginger, cumin, carom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, clove, black pepper, pomegranate seeds, turmeric, and tamarind further act as supplementary benefits to our health. These spices have excellent sources of powerful anti-inflammatory properties while aiding easy digestion.
Going back to the history; “Pindi Chole” is also known as “Rawal-Pindi Chole” as it is supposed to have originated from Rawal-Pindi which is a place in Pakistan. “Pind” means village in Punjabi.
This is an easy and quick recipe to make. It tastes amazing as a side dish to Roti, Naan bread or Kulcha, and also tastes great with humble boiled Rice. If you like, serve sliced onions to add a crunch and lemon wedge for that added zing.
What I love about this classic protein rich dish is it's texture and combination of spices that goes into it's making. This is a hot and spicy recipe, feel free to use more or less chili powder and green chilies depending on your heat tolerance.
Let's head to the making of “Pindi Chole”. The list of ingredients might seem a bit long, but every single ingredient has its significance to make this dish authentic. So I try not to avoid anything!
If you pre-plan this recipe, collecting ingredients won’t be that hard.
I am sure you will love this. So try out this authentic dish and let me know how you liked it. 🙂
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Here are some delicious Punjabi / North Indian recipes to get you started:
2. 👉MASALA PAV
4. 👉MASALA POORI
So let’s head to the yummy "Amrtisari Pindi Chole recipe.
Prep Time : 8 hours
Cook Time : 40 mins
Yields: 4 – 5 servings
Ingredients for Pressure cook:
- 1.5 cups dried White Chickpeas soaked 6 – 8 hrs (Chole)
- 0.5 cup Split Chickpea soaked 6 – 8 hrs (Chana Dal)
- 1 inch Cinnamon sticks
- 4 Cardamom
- 2 large Bay Leaf
- 2 Star Annise
- 5 Cloves
- 2 Tea bags
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt or black salt as required
Ingredients for Gravy:
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 2 medium size Tomatoes, chopped
- 2 inch Ginger, chopped
- 4 Garlic, chopped
- 4 to 5 Green chillies, slit or julienned
- 2 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Black Salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Mint
- 1 teaspoon Mango powder (Amchur powder)
- 2 teaspoon Dried Pomegranate powder (anardana powder)
- 1 tablespoon Red Chili powder
- 2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 3 tablespoon Oil/ Ghee
For Garnish:
- Ginger, juliennes
- Green chilly, slit
- Coriander leaves
- Lemon wedges
- Onion slices
Procedure:
Dried Chickpeas are available all year round. The beans need to be soaked for 8 hours before cooking, to obtain the edible consistency. If you are running short of time, you can also soak the beans in hot water, cover it and allow it to rest for 4 -5 hrs. Keep changing the hot water as the water cools down.
The same soaking process is to be done with split Chickpea (Chana Dal). Adding Split chickpea (Chana Dal) is optional, this is just to make a thick gravy.
First, pressure cook the soaked Chickpeas (Chole) along with split Chickpea (Chana Dal), whole spices mentioned above and tea bags or black tea leaves tied tightly in a muslin cloth, like basically a Bouquet garni, along with some black salt. The Chole will get a nice dark color from the tea leaves. They should be completely cooked.
Strain the Chole/chickpeas and reserve the stock.
Now I will start to prepare the gravy. In the same cooker, heat oil, add crushed ginger, garlic and chopped onions.
Fry the onions till they become golden brown.
Add slit green chilies and fry for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes. Saute the tomatoes till they become soft and mushy.
Reduce the flame and add all the dry spice powders, mentioned above. Saute the spice powders for a minute or two.
Add the Chole and saute for 5-6 minutes.
Now add the strained stock to the Chole/chickpeas, as per your gravy requirement. Cover and cook on medium flame till the gravy begins to thicken. Adjust the seasonings as per your taste preferences.
When the gravy thickens, add some julienned ginger and coriander leaves to the “Pindi Chole”.
You can serve this with almost anything as a side. Amritsari “Pindi Chole” goes well with breads like pooris, bhatura, naan also goes best with jeera rice or plain boiled rice. Serve it hot with some raw chopped onion and lime wedges by the side.
And that additional Anardana adds a tangy punch to the chickpeas. Certainly, this is one of my favorite flavors in this dish.
Now whenever I crave for that Restaurant Style Amritsari Chole, I go for this particular recipe. This is a divine curry, and anyone who has tasted this cannot forget it's heavenly taste.
The ingredients are also basic and available at all Indian grocery stores. This curry has a bit of a tangy taste due to added amchoor powder and anardana powder.
This Punjabi curry is also widely famous because of it's distinct dark colored gravy. Amritsari Chole is an amazing party dish and most of your guests will just love it.
Tips:
- “Pindi chole” can be prepared with canned Chickpeas, just discard the tinned water and give a good rinse. For authentic taste prefer dried soaked chickpeas.
- This recipe would taste amazing if prepared with pure ghee instead of oil. You may also try with mustard oil if you like the taste of mustard oil, as a typical Punjabi would do.
- Amchoor powder (dried mango powder) can be used instead of Anar Dana (dried pomegranate seed) as this adds tartness to “Pindi Chole”.
- However, if you don’t find Anar Dana or Amchoor powder then the only substitute is to add some lemon juice. Add the lemon juice once the dish is completely cooked and ready to turn off the heat.
This dish is sure to bring the flavors of Amritsar streets right into your home. It is so inviting and rich, spicy and full of awesome flavors. This Amritsari Chole recipe tastes just amazingly authentic.
Do try this recipe and don’t forget to let me know if you like it through comments. Be kind to like my page and share with your friends using the buttons on the side, that would really encourage me. God Bless!
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