Pindi Chole got its name from the place of its origin in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This Chole is made using 'Kabuli Channa' or the Black/Dark Garbanzo Beans. This dish has a strong aroma and is tangy/sour and has almost no gravy. Its dark color is mostly achieved by using powdered Amla (Indian Gooseberry) during the pre-soaking and cooking process. Nowadays, it is very common to use tea leaves/tea bag to achieve this color and taste. Pindi is a punjabi word which means own's land or the land to which a person belongs. Earlier before partion, Pakistan used to be a part of India and many punjabis used to live in the punjab part of Pakistan (as punjab was also divided and now most part of punjab lies in Pakistan) . Even though, it is now divided, still both the countries share many similar cuisines, one such is Pindi chole.
Ingredients:
Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana) - 1 1/2 cup
Tea leaves - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons
Cumin Powder - 2 tablespoons
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tablespoons
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 2 tablespoons
Pomegrate seeds (anardana) - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 1/2 cup
Green chillies , silt - 4-6 nos
Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Ginger paste - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Tomatoes quatered - 2 medium
Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon
Method:
- Soak chickpeas in four cups of water overnight.
- Tie tealeaves in muslin cloth to form a bundle.
- Drain chickpeas, add six to eight cups water, salt and tealeaves tied in muslin cloth. Pressure cook for twenty minutes or until soft and completely cooked.
- Drain the cooked chickpeas and reserve the cooking liquor. Discard bundle of tealeaves
- Mix together coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and amchur.
- Dry roast cumin seeds till dark brown. Dry roast anardana and grind to a powder along with roasted cumin seeds.
- Heat four tablespoons oil in a kadai, add slit green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Stir-fry briefly
- Add the mixed spice powder and stir-fry for half a minute.
- Stir in half cup of the reserved cooking liquor and cook for two minutes.
- Add the cooked chickpeas, salt to taste, one cup of reserved cooking liquor and cook on high heat for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Top it with tomatoes, sprinkle garam masala powder, roasted cumin and anardana powder.
- Heat the remaining oil to smoking point and pour over the prepared chickpeas.
- Stir well, adjust seasoning and serve hot with bhature or puris.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes (excluding the soaking hour)
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 persons.
Shelflife: 1 day.
Serving suggestions: Serve hot with Bhature or puris.
Note:
- Tea leaves is used to give the cuisine a dark colour. Pindi choles are dark in colour.
- Coriander leaves can be substituted with cilantro.
- Soak chanas overnight for maximun 6 hours and then boil it in cooker for either 20 minutes or for 3 -4 whistles.
Click here to know more about Punjabi foods and recipes - An introduction to Punjabi Cuisines and Recipes.
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You have some great recipes on your site and it would be great if you could share them at FoodShoutOut.com
FoodShoutOut.com is a place for people to discover and share great indian recipes from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, FoodShoutOut.com surfaces the best stuff as voted on by users.
Thank you for your response. Am glad to receive your invite and i would soon join your site and share my recipes with you.
I used your recipe as a guide with some alteraions - I didnt find time to soak the chick peas and pressure cook them. So I just used the canned ones - they turned out fantastic!! I added a little excess oil right at the beginning to avoid adding oil towards the end and it made no difference.
Thanks for the recipe....I was totally bored of eating chole made from the regular chole masala.
Hi Nivi,
Sorry for the late reply. I am really glad to know that you loved the chole recipe. Thanks for your appreciation.