Pindi Chole (Amritsari Chole)
Pindi chole or Amritsari chole is a flavorful variation of the Indian restaurant favorite, chana masala. Chickpeas are cooked with tea leaves and whole spices, then simmered in a tomato onion sauce flavored with mango powder and ground pomegranate seeds.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 238kcal
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- Dutch oven or large pot with lid
- Cheesecloth
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
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 824IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4mg