Chole Recipe (Punjabi Chole Masala)

Chole Recipe with stovetop & Instant Pot Instructions – Chickpeas cooked in a delicious, flavorful, tangy & spicy gravy. Punjabi Chole Masala served with Bhatura is a favorite among many Indians and is a very popular meal in Dhabas and North Indian restaurants. The combo of Chole Bhatura & Chole chawal (Basmati rice) are simply irresistible & delicious. If you love Indian foods, you will return to this vegan and protein packed dish time and again.

This post will help you make a very flavorful & delicious Punjabi Chole Masala that you can serve with plain Basmati rice, Jeera rice, Bhatura, Poori, Butter naan, Tandoori roti, Kulcha, phulka or even with plain Parathas.

About Chole

Chole Masala is a popular Punjabi dish where chickpeas are simmered in a spicy & tangy gravy. “Chole” is a Punjabi word for “chickpeas” and “masala” is a word for “spices”. So this dish is nothing but chickpeas cooked to perfection with various spices, onions, tomatoes and herbs.

Chickpea is a legume that is relished all over India. While the term Chole is specifically used to mention the Punjabi dish, Chana masala is a more generic word used to mention any spiced Indian Chickpea Curry. So Chole Masala is a Punjabi preparation and Chana Masala or a simple Indian Chickpea Curry is not necessarily Punjabi and is made in numerous ways across India.

Punjabi Chole is made with a unique spice blend known as Chole Masala powder & it is the heart of this dish which you may not find in a regular chana masala.

Ingredients like anardana (dried pomegranate seeds), amchur (dried mango powder), ajwain (carom seeds), dried red chilies and black cardamoms are the key ingredients in this Chole Masala.

While you can buy this spice blend sold by many popular brands from any Indian stores, each differ in the depth of flavors and heat levels. Sometimes the store bought powders can also break your dish, making it too spicy with low flavors.

For a long time, I have relied on my homemade spice blend that always yields me the best results – more flavor and moderate heat. I have shared the same here but If you have a favorite brand you may use it.

Traditionally to make Punjabi chole, soaked chickpeas are cooked with dried amla (Indian gooseberries) which impart the characteristic flavor and dark color to the chickpeas. Apart from that amla also helps in digestion.

Since I live outside India where dried amla is not easily available, I use tea decoction or tea bags in place of dried amla to soak and cook the chickpeas. You will be surprised to notice that tea is a big game-changer and makes your chole much much flavorsome.

My recipe is pretty simple & with minimal effort you will be able to make a pot of good Punjabi chole at home.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Chickpeas: Indian food is all about cooking everything from scratch. So we use dried chickpeas but in a pinch you can use canned. 1 cup dried chickpeas can be substituted with 2½ to 3 cups canned. If you are new to cooking with chickpeas, scroll down to find my guide to prepare chickpeas.

Whole Spices: This recipe requires whole spices like bay leaf, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. The most important spices are the black, green cardamoms and cinnamon. On occasions I leave out the rest and don’t find any difference. Whole spices infuse more robust flavours so use them.

Ground spices: You may use my recipe to make chole masala powder for best results or use any store bought. Kashmiri red chili powder, amchur, kasuri methi are the other spices which you will require to adjust the flavors.

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Photo Guide

How to Make Punjabi Chole (Stepwise photos)

Soak & prepare the chickpeas

1. Add 1 cup dried chickpeas (chole) to a pot and rinse them well at least thrice. Pour 3 to 4 cups water and soak them overnight or at least for 8 hours. Longer soaking time helps in better digestion and chole turns out softer. Later drain and rinse them once with fresh water.

2. Pour 2 cups water. Also add one tea bag or 2 pieces of amla. I prefer loose leaf tea so I make a decoction. Bring 1 cup water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea (like wagh bakri) or 1 teaspoon tea dust. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off and let rest for 3 to 4 mins. Later filter the decoction to the chickpeas and pour 1 more cup water (total 2 cups). Optionally add the following spices for extra flavor:

• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 green cardamoms
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 cloves

If you want you may also add a pinch of baking soda so the chickpeas cook faster.

3. Cook the chole till soft but not mushy. On a medium flame, I pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles (without soda) or for 2 whistles with soda. If cooking in an Instant pot (no soda), you will cook for 16 minutes in 6qt IP or for 13 to 14 mins in 3qt IP. When the pressure drops, the spices will float on top, I prefer to discard the bay leaf and cinnamon. If you use tea bag, remove that as well.

4. Chole must be soft cooked and not remain al dente. If they are al dente or even slightly hard, cook them again for 1 to 2 whistles. When you mash a chickpea, it must get mushy else it is undercooked.

Make Chole Masala (Spice Powder)

5. You can also skip this step and use ready made chole masala. While the chole cooks, to a pan add the following:

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 to 2 dried deseeded Kashmiri or Mathania red chili (leave out for lesser heat)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 4 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small black cardamom
• 4 green cardamom
• 4 to 8 pepper corn
• ¾ teaspoon anardana (seeds) (or ½ teaspoon powder to add later, not here)
• Dry roast until aromatic, add 1 small strand mace, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. Deep roast them until aromatic & crunchy without burning. Turn off and add ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg. (picture available for reference in the intro)

6. Cool them and add them to a grinder/blender. Add 1 to 1½ teaspoon amchur powder.

7. Grind to a fine powder. If you are using anardana powder, you may add it here.

Make Onion Tomato Masala

8. Pour 2 tablespoons oil to a hot pan. Add

• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 green cardamoms
• a small piece of bay leaf
• 2 cloves

9. When the spices begin to sizzle in oil, add 1½ cup onions finely chopped (or 1¼ cup processed, 2 medium onions) and 1 green chili slit (optional). I prefer to fine process the onions in chopper or processor and use. You can also grate or blanch and puree.

10. Fry on a medium heat, until the onions turn light brown and the raw smell has gone completely. Avoid frying on a high heat as the onions can taste bitter. Add ¾ to 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute on a medium heat.

11. Add 1 cup tomatoes (250 grams) – chopped or processed or pureed. Saute on a medium to medium-high heat until the moisture from the tomatoes has reduced & the raw smell has gone.

13. Add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon turmeric and ¾ teaspoon salt. Also add the chole masala we made in the grinder. If using store bought chole masala powder, add

• 1 tablespoon chole masala. (add more as you cook if you want)
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder (not required if using homemade spice blend)
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala (not required if using homemade spice blend)

14. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the masala smells good and aromatic.

15. Add cooked chickpeas along with the chole cooked water. It will be a little over 1 cup. If you want you may use only half of this stock/water. Pour 1 cup fresh water (total 2+ cups), enough to cover the chickpeas. You will need to adjust the quantity of water as desired to make the gravy.

16. Bring it to a rolling boil on a high heat. Cover and simmer on a low flame for 18 to 20 minutes or until the gravy thickens & reaches a desired consistency. Add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi. Taste test. Add more salt, amchur and garam masala if you want. I add about half teaspoon garam masala at this stage (I use the entire homemade spice blend in the beginning plus half teaspoon garam masala here)

17. This is the consistency you will have. Chole tastes best after resting for at least 30 minutes.

18. Tadka for extra flavor and heat. Pour 1 tablespoon ghee to a small tadka pan and heat it. Slit 2 to 4 green chilies slightly in the center so they remain intact, especially the seeds. Add the chilies to the hot ghee, be careful as they can splutter (use a splatter screen if needed). Fry them on a medium heat, stirring with a small spoon, until blistered. Turn off and add half teaspoon/inch ginger juliennes. Fry and then add ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida).

Pour the hot hing tadka over the chole just before serving. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve chole with bhatura or basmati rice alongside lemon & sliced onions, carrots and cucumbers.

Pro Tips (New!)

• For best results, use my homemade chole masala powder and do not alter the ingredient quantities in the recipe. If you alter the quantity of onions or even tomatoes, you will lose the balance of flavors.
• Adjust the ground spices: If using store bought spice blend, adjust the amount of chole masala powder. The store bought versions have higher amounts of red chilies & can easily make your dish too hot.
• You can leave out garam masala, coriander powder, amchur and red chili powder to use more store bought chole masala.
• Homemade chole masala: The homemade spice blend may look like a lot after grinding, but if you prefer lesser spices, cut down to half. I prefer to use up all of it plus half tsp garam masala at the final stage. Spices like coriander, green cardamom peels and bay leaf are just fillers and add body to your dish resulting in more gravy.
• Loose leaf Tea vs Tea bags Vs dried amla: All the 3 work well and impart different flavors. I prefer using loose leaf tea from wagh bakri or tata gold for the depth of flavors the tea decoction provides. If you are a CHAI hater, you won’t like to hear this – but tea enhances the flavor of your Chole. So use good quality tea.
• Soak Chickpeas in tea decoction: For years I have made this recipe by soaking the chickpeas in tea decoction and then boil them again in fresh tea decoction. But in the recent years, I found out that double the amount of tea while boiling does the same job (new update). But if you are an old reader doing that, simply divide the amount of tea – to soak and cook (half tbsp loose leaf tea or half teaspoon dust each time).

A guide to prepare chickpeas (for beginners)

• Soak Chole: Soaking chickpeas not only helps them cook faster but also reduces the phytic acid & eases the process of digestion thereby preventing bloating and flatulence. However if you forget to soak them, place 1 cup dried chickpeas in a large bowl. Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil and pour over the chickpeas. Cover and rest them for about an hour or until fully softened. Drain the water and rinse them well before use.
• Cook Chickpeas: It is best to use a pressure cooker to cook the chickpeas as it is hands-free and saves fuel. But they can be cooked in a pot along with ¼ teaspoon soda bi-carbonate and it takes longer – about an hour.
• Another option is to use canned chickpeas. Drain the liquid and rinse them well under running water. It is essential for the chickpeas to be soft and fully cooked before adding to the onion tomato masala. Else they will remain hard even after cooking. If they are not soft enough boil them in 2 cups of hot water until soft and use them in the recipe along with the water.

Faqs

Photo Guide

Instant Pot Chole Recipe (Step by Step Photos)

1. Rinse and soak chana for 8 hours and drain the water. Give them a good rinse. Press saute button on your Instant pot. Pour 2 tablespoons oil to the steel insert of your instant pot. Then add 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom and 1 inch piece of cinnamon.

3. As soon as they begin to sizzle add 1½ cup fine chopped onions & 1 green chili (optional). Begin to saute them.

4. Spread them evenly in the oil so they fry faster and uniformly.

5 Saute until the onions turn golden. If the pot becomes too hot, press cancel sometime in between or switch to saute – less. Then add ¾ to 1 tablespoon ginger garlic (paste or chopped) & saute for 30 to 40 seconds.

6. Add 1 cup tomatoes (Fine chopped or pureed, 3 No) and ¾ teaspoon salt.

7. Saute until the tomatoes break down and become mushy.

8. Then add ½ to ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste) and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric. If you are using homemade chole masala from this post, add the entire ground spices. However if you want to use store bought powder use the following spices:

• 1 tablespoon chole masala (ready made)
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala (not required if using homemade ground spices)
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder (not required if using homemade ground spices)
• If you do not have chole masala, replace it with another ¾ teaspoon garam masala. This is just a substitute but won’t give you the same flavors.

9. Saute for a few minutes until onion tomato masala begins to smell good. This is a very important step so do not skip it.

10. Next pour 2 cups water (or 1 cup water + 1 cup tea decoction). Deglaze by mixing, at the bottom of the pot with a spatula so any bits of masala stuck there will release. This also avoids burning of any food particles at the bottom.

11. Add chickpeas. Mix well and press cancel. Secure the instant pot with the lid. Position the steam release vent to sealing.

12. Press pressure cook button (high pressure) and set the timer to 35 minutes. If using canned chickpeas set the timer to 10 minutes instead. The IP beeps when it is done. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for 18 to 20 mins. Then open the lid.

13. Taste test and adjust salt, garam masala or more amchur for tang if required. Press the saute button and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. If you prefer a thicker curry, take 3 to 4 tablespoons chole to another bowl and mash them very well. Transfer this back to the pot and simmer for 3 minutes.

Pour 1 tablespoon ghee, ½ inch ginger juliennes and 1 teaspoon kasuri methi. Or make a tadka, by heating 1 tablespoon ghee in a tadka pan. Slightly slit 2 to 4 green chilies with the ends and seeds intact. Fry them in the ghee until blistered, using a splatter screen. Add the ginger juliennes and turn off the heat. Add ¼ teaspoon hing. Pour this over the Chole.

14. Garnish chole with 2 tablespoons fine chopped coriander leaves and serve with bhatura, poori or naan.

You can check more Instant Pot Recipes here

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This Chole Recipe was first published in February 2013. Republished in August 2023.