If you love chana masala, this Pindi chole recipe is for you. Chickpeas are cooked with tea leaves and whole spices, then simmered in a tomato onion sauce flavored with mango powder and ground pomegranate seeds.
What is Pindi chole?
Pindi chole or Amritsari chole is a variation of chana masala cooked across the Punjab region of India and Pakistan and named for the cities famous for this dish: Rawalpindi in Pakistan and Amritsar in India.
There are minor differences between Pindi chole and Amritsari chole, but there are many more similarities: both dishes include a unique ingredient, black tea. And both are tangier than an average chana masala, thanks to the use of anardana, or pomegranate seed, and amchur, or dried mango powder.
The chole is cooked in a cast iron karahi, a small wok, which, along with the tea and the anardana, helps add a dark, almost blackish hue to the final dish. Some cooks also add dried gooseberry, or amla, to deepen the color.
I didn't want to risk stripping the seasoning of my cast iron skillets with tomatoes and other acidic ingredients so I used an enameled Dutch oven instead. This doesn't give the chole as dark a color as you might get in a cast iron karahi, but it is just as delicious.
If you love chana masala, this chole recipe is one you will definitely want to try. I'd describe it as an enhanced chana masala and like all north Indian dishes it is loaded with deep, rich flavor and umami. The recipe is quite easy and it's soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. You need a chana masala spice blend to flavor the chickpeas, and you can either buy this at an Indian store or online, or make your own chana masala spice mix using my recipe. Serve and eat Pindi chole just like you would a chana masala, with any Indian bread or rice.
You will need to cook chickpeas from scratch for this recipe because they have to be infused with spices and tea as they cook. I have instructions on how to do that below but you can also use any of the four methods I detail in this post on how to cook chickpeas.
Recipe card
Pindi Chole (Amritsari Chole)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas (chana or garbanzo beans)
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-inch piece cinnamon
- 3 black tea bags (or 3 teaspoon loose leaf black tea)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida or hing (hing, optional)
- 1 tablespoon oil (avocado oil or any neutral oil)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large onion (finely diced)
- 1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 5 medium tomatoes (finely diced)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-2 teaspoon cayenne (use even less if sensitive to heat, more if you like hot curries)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon anardana (pomegranate seed powder)
- 1 tablespoon amchur (mango powder)
- 2 tablespoon chana masala powder
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between the palms of your hands)
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped. You can also use fresh mint)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain out the water, then place the chickpeas in an Instant Pot liner or pressure cooker.
- Place the green cardamom pods, bay leaves and cinnamon stick in a piece of cheesecloth. Add tea leaves. If using tea bags, cut or tear them open and place the tea leaves in the cheesecloth. Tie the cheesecloth in a tight bundle.
- Place the cheesecloth bundle in the Instant Pot liner or pressure cooker along with the chickpeas. Add 4 cups water. Cook on high pressure in Instant Pot for 35 minutes or in the pressure cooker for four whistles. The cooked chickpeas should be very tender and should mash easily. Before using the chickpeas, discard the cheesecloth bundle. Strain out the cooking liquid and reserve.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. Saute for a few seconds until the cumin seeds darken a bit.
- Add the diced onions to the pot along with some salt. Saute the onions until they become soft and begin to turn golden-brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste to the pot and saute for a minute. Then stir in the tomatoes.
- Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and turmeric to the tomatoes. Mix well. Cook the tomatoes and spices until the tomatoes are broken down and very pulpy.
- Stir in the anardana and amchur and mix well. Continue to cook until the tomatoes are visibly darker and the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the chickpeas to the pot. Crush some of the chickpeas with the ladle -- this will help thicken the sauce. Add a cup of the reserved chickpea cooking liquid. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the chana masala powder. Add the remaining cooking liquid to the chana masala if it looks dry. You can also add more water to thin out the consistency. Pindi chana is not as saucy as a chana masala.
- Bring the chana to a boil, cover, and continue to cook 10 minutes over medium low heat. Stir in kasoori methi, mix well, check for salt and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Oil: Please don't use coconut oil or olive oil in this recipe (for more information on why, read my post on vegan Indian substitutions). To make the recipe oil-free, look at the FAQs.
Nutrition Information
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How to make Pindi Chole
Place bay leaves, tea leaves, green cardamom pods and cinnamon stick in a clean cheesecloth. Tie into a tight bundle.
Place soaked chickpeas in an Instant Pot liner or in a pressure cooker with 3 cups water. Place the cheesecloth bundle in the liner or cooker. Cook 35 minutes in the Instant Pot or for four whistles in a pressure cooker until the chickpeas are tender. Before using the chickpeas, remove the cheesecloth bundle. Strain the liquid, which will be the color of black tea, and reserve it.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. Saute for a few seconds until the cumin seeds darken a bit.
Add the diced onions to the pot along with some salt. Saute the onions until they become soft and begin to turn golden-brown.
Add ginger garlic paste to the pot and saute for a minute.
Stir in the diced tomatoes and mix in.
Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne and turmeric to the tomatoes. Mix well.
Cook the tomatoes and spices until the tomatoes are broken down and very pulpy.
Stir in the anardana and amchur and mix well.
Continue to cook until the tomatoes are visibly darker and the liquid has evaporated.
Add the chickpeas to the pot. Crush some of the chickpeas with the ladle -- this will help thicken the sauce. Add a cup of the reserved chickpea cooking liquid. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
Stir in the chana masala powder. Add the remaining cooking liquid to the chana masala if it looks dry. You can also add more water to thin out the consistency. Pindi chana is not as saucy as a chana masala.
Bring the chana to a boil, cover, and continue to cook 10 minutes over medium low heat.
Stir in kasoori methi, mix well, check for salt and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro.
Recipe FAQs
The black tea adds a pleasantly mild, bitter undertone and the amchur and anardana make the Pindi chole tangier than the average chana masala recipe.
Yes, skip the oil and saute the onions in ¼ cup vegetable stock or water.
Canned chickpeas are great for chana masala, but for Pindi chole you need to start out with dried chickpeas because the chickpeas need to absorb the flavor and color of the tea and spices as they cook.
Asafetida adds umami to vegetarian recipes, so it's a recommended addition, but you can skip it.
You can, and you will be rewarded with great color. But keep in mind that the tomatoes will need to cook in the pan for a bit and that could strip the seasoning of your cast iron skillet, depending on how well-seasoned it is. Some of the iron will also leach into the food and while that is not a bad thing, you may get a slight metallic taste. America's Test Kitchen has some useful tips on cooking with acidic ingredients in cast iron. I use an enameled Dutch oven or a stainless steel pot to make Pindi chole.
Pindi chana is traditionally eaten with north Indian flatbreads like kulcha or bhatura. Try making the bhatura in my chole bhature recipe, or this aloo kulcha. You can also serve the Pindi chole with vegan naan or paratha.
For a healthier meal, serve with roti or with basmati rice.
Store Pindi chole in fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw and reheat in a saucepan or microwave. Add more water if necessary.
LISA GRANDSTAFF says
I've not heard of this delicious sounding variation on chana masala, but I'm seriously wanting to make this. The addition of black tea is super provocative for me! I have some excellent Assam loose leaf from the small business I love (Pure Indian dot com) and it's about the best Assam I've ever tasted!
Unfortunately, while I have amchur powder, I have no dried fenugreek leaves on hand. Any suggestions? Wait until I get some?
Vaishali says
Hi Lisa, just leave out the fenugreek leaves. If you have dried mint you can add a teaspoon instead. I hope you try it!
Emily says
Hi, I saw mention in the recipe for an oil free option but didn't find it on the page. Was there a link that I missed?
This looks delicious and I'm trying to avoid oil currently so that would be perfect!
Vaishali says
Hi Emily, you can saute the onions with 1/4 cup vegetable stock or water instead of the oil. I've also added it to the FAQs. Best.
Lina says
This recipe is so flavorful. I love chana masala and wanted to try something a little different, this hit the mark. I'll be making it again. Thank you.
Vaishali says
Yay! So happy to hear.
Uva Meiner says
Tried this recipe first time and it tastes absolutely delicious, Great! Thank you! Uva in Costa Rica
Vaishali says
So happy you loved the chhole, Uva. ❤️