Amritsari Chole

Mainly served with amritsari kulcha, amritrsari chole is a little different from the other chole recipes. It has a rather medium thick gravy and a sour and spicy taste. The chickpeas and the gravy generally have a dark colour, mainly derived from the tea or the gooseberries and has a very satisfying after taste.

Step by step picture:

Put the soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with tea bag / a potli of tea leaves, salt, water and whole spices.

Pressure cook the chickpeas until the cooker blows 3-4 whistles. Keep aside.

Heat oil and add the whole spices and saute them for a minute.

Add the chopped onions to them and saute the onions until lightly golden.

Add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Saute for a minute more.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy.

Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and fennel seeds powder and cook for a minute.

Add the boiled chickpeas and some of its water.

Let it come to a boil. Add the chickpeas paste that we made and add the garam masala powder, aamchur powder and anardana powder.

Mash some of the chickpeas with the back of the spoon and simmer until the gravy thickens.

You can also check the other chole recipes here – pindi chole, pure vegetarian chole and cholebhature.

Amritsari Chole

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 and ½ cup of chickpeas / garbanzo beans

1 medium onion – finely chopped

2 tomatoes – finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic – paste

½ inch of ginger – paste

2 green chillies – chopped

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp anardana / pomegranate seeds – dry roast them for some seconds and then grind them to a fine powder

1 tsp homemade garam masala powder

½  tsp fennel seeds powder

½  tsp dry mango powder / aamchur powder

1 tea bag or 2 tsp black tea leaves (increase or reduce depending on your preference of the dark colour.)

1 medium cinnamon stick

3 green cardamoms

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing / asafoetida 

Salt

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. In the morning drain the water and put the soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas.

Add 1 tsp turmeric powder, salt and 1 tea bag. If you are using tea leaves and place them on a small square of cheese cloth. Take the corner and tie them tightly with their opposite counterpart so that it takes the shape of a potli. Add them to the chickpeas as well.

Pressure cook the chickpeas until the cooker blows 3-4 whistles. Switch off the flame and leave the cooker aside so that the pressure can escape.

Once the pressure settles down open the lid and take out the potli. Drain the water in a separate pot and keep aside.

Throw away the potli or the tea bag.

Take 2-3 tbsp of the boiled chickpeas and grind them in a grinder / blender. Transfer the paste in a bowl and keep aside. This is for thickening the gravy. Or you can also mash some chickpeas during the simmering to thicken the curry as well.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan / kadai and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaves to them.

Sauté for half a minute or until the oil becomes aromatic and then add the hing / asafoetida.

Saute again for some seconds and add chopped onions to them.

Sprinkle some salt over them and cook until the onions become lightly golden.

Add the ginger – garlic – chilli paste and cook for a minute more.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little more salt.

Cook the tomatoes until they become completely mushy and you can see the oil separating from them.

Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and fennel seeds powder.

Stir to mix and sauté for a minute so that the spices can develop a more mature flavour.

Add the boiled chickpeas along with 2 cups of the drained water.

Give them a good stir and let it come to a boil.

Add the kept aside chickpeas paste to the curry.

Now simmer on medium flame until the curry reaches your desired consistency.

Add the garam masala powder, aamchur powder and anardana powder.

Mix them again and simmer for 2 more minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

The curry should not be too thick or too thin.

Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve hot with come chapatti or naan or kulcha.