Pindi Chole / Rawalpindi Style Dry Chickpea Fry

Ingredients (Serves 2 – 3)

1. Chole / white chana – 1 cup, dried (Soak dried chana in enough water for at least 8 hrs)

Whole spices – Cinnamon stick – 1 inch, cardamom – 2, cloves – 3 – 4, black cardamom – 1

Tea bag – 1 or 2 – 3 tbsp black tea (If you are using tea powder, tie it up in a muslin cloth and discard it after pressure-cooking. Its used to give this a dark brownish color, you can omit it if you want)

Salt  To taste

Baking soda – 1/2 tsp

Ghee or oil – 1/2 tsp (Optional)

Water – 2 – 2.5 cups or in the same level as that of the soaked chana

2.  Oil –  2 tbsp

Ginger – 2 – 3 tsp, grated or sliced

Green chilies – 2 , diagonally sliced

3. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Regular chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Amchur powder – 1 tsp

Anardana powder – 1/2 tsp

Ajwain – 1/2 tsp

4. Salt  – To taste

5. Ghee –  2 – 3 tsp

Method

1.  Pressure cook the ingredients numbered 1, for 3 – 4 whistles or until chana becomes soft. Drain the chana and transfer to a large bowl. Discard the whole spices and tea bag and set aside the stock for later use. Add all the spice powders numbered 3 to the cooked chana.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan / kadhai (try to use a cast-iron pan for this recipe) over medium-high heat. Add ginger, green chilies and saute for 30 seconds. Add chana. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Now add in the reserved stock and mix well. Taste-check for salt. Bring to a boil. Cook covered for 8 – 10 minutes over medium-low  heat. Switch off when the chana is well-coated with the masala.

3. Heat 2 – 3 tsp ghee in a small pan to smoking point. Switch off.  Pour it over the prepared chana. Close with a lid for 5 minutes and then mix well. Garnish with chopped onion and cilantro. Sprinkle little lemon juice, if you want. Serve warm with chapathis or rice along with a gravy. This tastes best after sometime.