PUNJABI CHOLE MASALA/HALWAI STYLE PUNJABI CHOLE / पंजाबी छोले
Chana or chole or chickpea curry is cooked and fondly eaten in many states of India. Though the taste might be different from one another because of the cooking style and the addition of the spices and oil that varies from state to state. Sub ingredients make a huge difference in the taste and texture. Today I’m sharing the method of cooking the chana/chole dish in the Punjabi ways. Especially the way it is cooked by special and professional cooks(halwais) on occasions and weddings. The divine taste and aroma comes with the pure ghee which is added after heating upto the smoking point. Desi ghee cooks the spices and aromatics leaving a richness into the chole
In Punjabi houses this is the most popular and much loved food. This is ritually eaten on weekends especially Sunday brunch is fixed on it. The chole (as it is called in Punjabi) makes the best pair with BHATURE and POORIES. A special potli masala with fragrant whole spices and tea leaves is added while boiling it. Tea leaves give them the signature Blackish-brown colour by which they are much known. Some professional cooks replace The tea leaves with dried pomegranate seeds or dried amla. Dried pomegranate (anaardana give it a slight tang). The chole curry is slow cooked to get the typical taste and texture just like the commercial cooks (हलवाई वाला स्वाद) provide to this popular dish from Punjab
Prep time – 6-8 hrs/overnight
Cook time – 45 minutes
Course – Main
Cuisine – Indian (Punjab, Delhi, Himachal)
Author – Bharti Dhawan
INGREDIENTS FOR POTLI MASAL *Adjust the quantity of potli masala with the quantity of chole
• Tea leaves – 1 tap
• Black cardamom – 1 nos
• Green cardamom – 2 nos
• Black pepper – 4-5 nos
• Cloves – 4 nos
• Cinnamon stick – 1 small
INGREDIENTS FOR SPECIAL CHOLE MASALA POWDER
• Jeera/cumin – 2 tsp
• Coriander/dhania seeds – 2 tsp
• Black cardamom – 1 no
• Green cardamom – 3-4
• Tej patta – 1 no
• Black peppers – 5-6
• Cloves/lavang – 3-4
• Cinnamon stick – 1 no
INGREDIENTS FOR PUNJABI CHOLE
• Safed chana – 1 cup (soaked overnight)
• Water – Twice quantity of soaked chana
• Ghee – 3 tbsp
• Thinly sliced onions – 1 big
• Thinly sliced tomatoes – 1 big
• Ginger Julian – 2 tsp+1 tsp for garnish
• Green chillies – 3-4
• Salt – 2 tsp
• Red chilly powder – 2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Amchur/dry mango powder – 2 tsp
• Prepared chana masala – 3 tsp
• Potli masala
INGREDIENTS FOR GARNISH
• Onion rings
• Tomato slices
• Ginger julians
• Green chillies
• Coriander leaves
• Lemon wedges
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPECIAL CHOLE MASALA POWDER
1- Dry roast all the spices until you feel the aroma
2- Allow to cool and grind them to the masala powder consistency. Keep aside to use later
INSTRUCTIONS FOR POTLI MASALA
1- Take a small square piece of kitchen towel and add all the spices and tea leaves to it
Give 2 knots to make a potli (packet)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUNJABI CHOLE
1- Add soaked chole, salt, masala potli, and water to a pressure cooker and give 1 whistle at high flame. Slow down the flame and cook chole for more than 20 minutes
* You can check the chole. They must be soft otherwise cook for more few minutes. Cooking time varies from cooker to cooker
2- When chole are cooked, sieve through a strainer. Take out the masala potli and keep it aside. The chole has got all the taste and colour of spices and tea leaves. Also, keep the chole water aside to add later
3- Transfer chole to a pan now with the flame on. Whilst add ghee in a tadka pan and heat until it gets very hot, reaching to almost smoking point
4- Spread sliced onions, tomatoes, green chillies, some ginger Julian, special chole masala, red chilly powder and amchur/dry mango powder on the chole
5- Sprinkle the very hot ghee over chana and cover with the lid for 5 minutes. The hot ghee will cook the onions and the spices giving a fragrant smoke
6- Now add half water, which we strained and kept aside. Combine everything together. Allow to cook chole at low flame for 10 minutes by covering the lid
7- Add remaining water and simmer the chole. Allow to simmer for more 10 minutes. Mash some of them with ladle. This will increase the taste
8- The slow cooking of 10-15 minutes will bring all the flavours together. Adjust the quantity of water according to your choice. You will feel the heavenly aroma that comes with ghee and the spices
9- Serve the yummiest Punjabi chole with BHATURE or POORI
YOU MIGHT ALSO LOVE A FEW MORE AUTHENTIC RECIPES FROM PUNJAB
RAJMA MASALA CURRY(PUNJABI STYLE)
AMRITSARI PANEER BHURJI (DHABA STYLE PUNJABI PANEER BHURJI)
