My favourite punjabi Chickpea curry (Chhole/ chana masala ) recipe in Amritsari style. Infused with indian whole spices, and black tea for that smoky flavour and colour. Slowly simmered in a rich tempering of onions, tomatoes, lots of ginger and a little garlic for a flavourful indian treat to go with bhaturas, pooris or kulcha.A perfect Sunday Brunch.
1 1/2tspcumin coriander powderRead notes on how to make this
Kasoori methi
1tbspchana masala powder
1tspamchoor powder (mango powder)
Garnishing
fresh coriander leaves
drizzle of ghee
slit green chillies
Instructions
In a pressure cooker, boil water. Add chickpeas .
Add whole spices- fenugreek seeds, black cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise (half),whole black pepper ,a pinch of baking soda.
Add a tea bag (or a cup of brewed black tea) . Mix well, and pressure cook everything for about 15-18 minutes.Keep aside.
Tempering for amritsari chhole
Heat 2tbsp ghee. Add a pinch of asafoetida powder, cumin seeds and let it splutter for a few seconds.
Add Chopped onions. Fry till onions are light golden.
Add crushed ginger garlic/ ginger garlic paste. Sauté till the raw aroma goes away.
Now add the pureed tomatoes, and cook till the oil leaves the sides.
Once tomatoes are cooked, add slit green chillies, black pepper powder, red chilli (deghi mirchi)powder, roasted coriander and cumin powder, Kasoori methi powder, chana masala powder. Mix well.
Add the tempering to cooked chickpeas. Mix well , cover and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. .
When done, add amchoor powder (Mango powder). Garnish it with a drizzle of ghee, fresh coriander leaves and slit chillies .
Serve these hot with Pooris, naan bread, rice or Kulchas, accompanied with salad, pickle, chutney and Raita.
Notes
To make roasted cumin coriander seeds powder-Add 1 tsp of coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds to a hot pan. Keep stirring, so that these do not burn. Heat for 3-4 minutes, till you can smell the strong flavours. Take off heat, and let cook. Once cool, powder these in a grinder to a fine powder. You can use these for adding flavour to curries , raitas, and biryani.Either add a tea bag while boiling.Or if adding brewed tea - Add 1 tsp black tea to 1 cup water. Bring it to a boil. Sieve it and add it water to the boiled chickpeas, before adding tadka/ tempering.To make a thicker consistency of the curry-Take a tbsp of boiled chickpeas (before adding tempering), and mash them with back of the spoon/ or fork, and add back to the chickpeas.Mix well. Follow rest of the steps.