Amritsari Pindi Chole

January 10, 2022

Amritsari Pindi Chole

Amritsari Pindi Chole (Punjabi Chole):

Let's go to Punjab today, trying out one of their delicious chana masala recipe which is popularly called out as Amritsari Pindi Chole. It's more delicious than the normal common chole prepared and difference lies in the incorporation of total ground home made chole masala.

Punjab is famous for its delicious food and Amritsar is one of the cities of Punjab wherein we get the best quality food. There are many famous dishes of Amritsar and among them is the Amritsari Pindi Chole served with kulcha or bhatura.

I felt this chole is more easier to prepare as compared to normal common chole recipe as you don't need to search in the market for any chole masala which you usually do for the common chole recipes. But here you roast and grind some common spices easily available on your kitchen counter which gives your chole a unique flavour and aroma too!!

Actually the main ingredient of this chole is the addition of anardana or dry pomegranate seeds or powder which I didn't find it in our Goan stores. Anardana powder is mostly used in the North Indian cusines and so hardly you find it here in Goan stores. If you find the anardana powder, then do add as a mandatory ingredient. It's actually used as an souring agent.

Anyways even though I skipped addition of anardana powder, I added few more additional ingredients like chaat masala, wherein my chole turned out very good and had the flavour of chicken and am sure, if you try it, you will also love the same.

I usually prepare my recipe the previous night and keep it overnight so that it can be relished next morning with breakfast. This makes all flavours get very well mixed up. So if you opt this dish for your breakfast then you can prepare this chole previous night and make fresh bhaturas or paratas next morning which requires certain time for preparation.

Let's go to the recipe quickly.

Ingredients and method:

Soak 2 cups of Kabuli chana or chickpeas overnight or for 5-6 hrs in hot water. Hot water increases your soaking process. In traditional method of Amritsari Pindi Chole, they want their chana to turn black which they make by adding a tea bag into this water while soaking and boiling chana. I didn't want black chana so I didn't do this step. If you need your chana to turn black you have to add a teabag or tea powder tied in a cotton cloth.

Next make the homemade chole powder:

Heat a pan. Add spices like 2 tsp of Coriander seeds, 1 tsp each of Pepper, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, 1 bay leaf,1cinnamon, 4cloves, 1 small string of javitri, black cardamom-1 green cardamom-2-, 2 tsp of kasoorimethi. Dry roast them for 5 mins till aromatic, cool and powder them.

Chop 3 onions into fine pieces. You can make paste of onions. I don't like paste so I chop them fine.

Puree 3 tomatoes

Cook your soaked chanaa in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp of salt and required water for 7-8 whistles.

Final preparation of chole.

Heat a vessel, add 5-6 tbsp of oil. Add 1 tsp of jeera, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp of hing, paste of onion or finely chopped onions. Saute well till onions turn golden brown. Add 2tsp of ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes. Add tomato puree,salt and saute very well till oil oozes out. Then add 1 tsp each of of red chilli powder, haldi, coriander powder, chaat masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder, karoorimethi, 3/4 th of homemade chole powder, saute very well. Add half cup of cooked chanas and mash them very well in gravy itself. Then add remaining cooked chanas from the cooker along with it's water. Let it cook very well. Check for salt, if required add more. Add remaining 1/4 th homemade chole powder and again 2 tbsp of kasoorimethi on top and give nice boils to your chana masala. Make semi thick gravy and you are done. Off the flame.

Then give a tempering of 2 tsp of pure ghee with 3-4 long slitted green chillies on top to the gravy and mix well.

Since I didn't add anardana powder so I added 2 tsp of mutton masala and lots of coriander leaves and 2 tbsp of kasoorimethi for an additional flavour on top.

Yum!! Your delicious Amritsari Pindi Chole is ready to serve.