Want an awesome veg recipe that is totally a keeper??? I know most of us enjoy the Chole / Chana Masala we order at restaurants. And we keep wondering why we don’t get ‘that restaurant taste’ when we prepare it at home. I was always annoyed when my Chole didn’t turn out well. That was until I got this killer recipe.:)
I have tried chole recipes from cookbooks and a few from the internet. Nothing really made me happy. The chickpeas were either hard or the gravy turned out tangy. Anyways I tweaked my recipe for pindi chole that’s posted here and followed some tips shared by a friend of mine long back to make this delicious chole masala recipe. You will find most of the ingredients for this recipe in your pantry. It doesn’t call for store-bought chole masala powder like most of the recipes online and it tastes great even without anardana / pomegranate powder. Please do give this a try.This chole will go well with chapathi / naan/ bhatura / matar pulao/ jeera rice etc. I am sure you wont be disappointed. And please share your feedback if you liked it. I get super-excited when I get feedback from people who have tried out my recipes :).
This post reminds me of one more thing. Many of you have asked me to share a menu (especially North-indian vegetarian) for potlucks and parties. I have listed some of my favorite vegetarian dishes below this post. You can try some of them for your next party. My most favorite vegetarian side-dishes for pulao posted here are chole, mixed vegetable subzi, mushroom butter masala, dal makhani and dhingri malai matar. I will share some more party specials soon. Hope you give them a try.
Chana Masala Recipe
Ingredients (Serves 6)
1. White chickpeas / garbanzo beans – 1.5 cups (Soaked in enough water for 8 – 10 hrs)
Whole spices – Black cardamom – 1 or green cardamom – 2, cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch, cloves – 3
Teabag – 1 (OR use 2 – 3 tbsp black tea)
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Oil – 1/2 tsp
Water – As required
2. Ghee – 1 tbsp
3. Oil – 2.5 tbsp
4. Onion – 1/2 – 3/4 cup, finely chopped
Ginger-garlic paste – 1.5 tsp
Ginger – 1 tsp, thinly sliced
Green chilies – 2, slit
Hing/asafoetida – A tiny pinch
5. Tomato – 1.5 medium, pureed
6. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 3 – 3.5 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
Anardana powder / amchur powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Hot water – 1 – 1.5 cup
8. Kasuri methi – 1/2 tsp, crushed
9. Cilantro – 3 tbsp, chopped
10. Salt – To taste
Method
1. Pressure cook all the ingredients numbered 1 in a pressure cooker for 2 – 3 whistles or until soft. Open the cooker after the pressure releases or after 10 – 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai to smoking point. Add this to the pressure-cooked chana. Cover with a lid and set aside.
3. Heat 2.5 tbsp oil in the same kadai. Add all the ingredients numbered 4. Saute until onion turns golden. Add pureed tomato and saute until oil separates. Add ingredients numbered 6 and cook for a minute. Add cooked chana along with the gravy (remove the tea bag) and 1 cup hot water. Bring to a boil. Set the heat to medium-low and cook covered for 15 – 20 minutes until the gravy becomes thick. (If the gravy is not thick enough, mash some of the chickpeas using the back of a spoon.) Add crushed kasoori methi and mix well. Cook for a minute and switch off. This will thicken a lot over time so adjust the gravy accordingly. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro, onion, thinly sliced ginger and serve hot. Chole masala goes well with bhatura/poori/roti/ naan/ pulao etc.
North Indian Vegetarian Party Menu
1. Chana Chaat
3. Chole
Mishti Doi (Recipe coming soon)
Will prepare this recipe soon. I made today your methi leaves with mixed vegetable curry. Mince with potatoes. awesome
Thanks a lot for trying my recipes and letting me know your feedback!
Thank you Maya for Chole masala receipe!! hope I’ll be able to prepare with yummy taste!! God bless you dear!!
Excellent and easy recipe! Made for dinner today! Thank you and keep the vegetarian recipes coming!
It was really very tasty,as I am lucky enough to taste it from Maya’s kitchen I can tell people to go ahead and try it…My husband who is not a fan of vegetarian cuisine even he ate it like anything…Thanks Maya for sharing the recipe..
Hi Maya,
Tried the recipe yesterday. It came out so good. The chana was super soft and the gravy was yummy. Like your experience, i had tried many other chana recipes, but nothing was satisfying enough. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you 🙂
I am curious to know the use of tea bag
Hi Maya, Why do we have to add tea bag and baking soda?
Tea bag gives a dark colour to the chole, and i believe baking soda speeds up the cooking process.
Thanks Devika! 🙂
My family’s most favorite dish !
I plan to try this tonight, I don’t have tea bags, if I use tea powder instead like you recommended, will it change the taste?
Also, I am doubling the recipe, so I need double the amount the tea powder?
Thanks!
Do not add tea powder directly..Use 2 – 3 tbsp black tea (make black tea separately with tea powder and use it in the recipe)..If you plan to double the recipe – use 3 – 4 tbsp black tea
I have tried multiple chole masala recipes and have never been satisfied – I finally tried your recipe and it turned out great – I was reminded of the restaurant chole taste I was striving for – thanks a lot!!
So happy to read this comment. Thank you so much for taking time to write here!