Amritsari Pindi Chole Masala, or Punjabi Kabuli Chana, is a popular dish from Amritsar made with chickpeas. This dark brown chickpea gravy, infused with a perfect blend of spices and garnished with raw onions, lemon juice, and chopped coriander, is simply irresistible. Paired with a warm, puffed-up bhatura or roti or Basmati Rice, each bite bursts with flavor and is both comforting and satisfying.
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Why does this recipe stand out?
There are many recipes to make Chickpea gravy. I had posted a simple recipe for the Chole Masala some time ago, and I usually use that recipe for busy days. Amritsari Pindi Chole masala is similar but has slight variations in the spices used and the preparation. It is especially known for its popular dark brownish color.
The deep color is imparted to the gravy by soaking the chickpeas with the tea bags. The spices used in the recipe are very flavorful. The last step of tempering with the chopped garlic, slit green chilies, and spices gives that extra oomph to this awesome dish.
Ingredients needed
- Dried chickpeas soaked in water with 2 teabags (for the brown color) and baking soda (optional)
- Whole spices - black cardamom, green cardamom, bay leaves, cloves
- Spice Powders - red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, pomegranate powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder, dry fenugreek powder, rock salt, asafetida
- Onion paste
- canned tomato sauce
- ginger garlic paste
- Green chillies and garlic cloves for tempering
How to make Amritsari Pindi Chole masala?
We first start by soaking the chickpeas in water with teabags overnight. Pressure cook the chickpeas, tea bags, salt, baking soda, and spices for five to six whistles. Save the brown water from the pressure cooking to add later.
Sauté the onion paste, ginger garlic paste, and keep stirring till the raw smell goes away. Add tomato paste and cook until oil floats on top. Now add the remaining spice powders except garam masala (how to make garam masala), which is added in the end. Mash some cooked chickpeas to make the gravy thicker.
Finally temper with slit green chilies, garlic, and a little red chili powder and cumin.
- Step 1: Cook the soaked Chana with spices, salt, and tea bags for about 5 to 6 whistles, and it is cooked well.
- Step 2: Save the water from the cooked chickpeas for later to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
- Step 3: Heat ghee or oil and add finely chopped onions or onion paste, ginger, garlic, and tomato paste until they leave oil on the side.
- Step 4: Add all the spices and saute well.
- Step 5: Add the cooked Chickpeas and the water from step 2, and adjust consistency.
- Step 6: Heat oil or ghee and temper with chopped garlic and green chilies. Finally, add a little red chili powder and cumin powder to the tempered oil.
- Step 6: Add the tempering from step 6 to the gravy.
- Step 7: Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Some other similar gravies with soaked pulses that you may like are moth ki dal, rajma gravy, green peas curry, simple dal, and Kerala Kadala curry. Some other dishes that can be served along with this dish are lauki kofta made with lauki kofta curry recipe and Paneer Tikka masala.
Recipe FAQs
Pindi Chole has a dark brown color and has a more intense flavor compared to Chole masala.
This recipe is from Punjab in northern India and the Rawalpindi region, hence the name Pindi Chole.
The main idea of adding the tea bags is for the color that it imparts to the dish, and its addition will not alter the taste so much.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Amritsari Pindi Chole Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing from you!
Amritsari Pindi Chole Masala
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpeas dried chickpeas soaked in water
- 2 tea bags
- ¼ tsp baking soda optional
Spices to pressure cook with chickpeas
- 2 black cardamom
- 4 green cardamom
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp salt
Spice powders for Chole masala
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp pomegranate powder (adjust as necessary)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp dry mango powder
- 1 tsp dry fenugreek powder
- ½ tsp rock salt
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
For paste
- 1 onion made into paste
- 2 tomatoes or canned tomato sauce
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 tbsp oil
For Tempering
- 3 green chillies
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
Instructions
Pressure cook chickpeas
- Soak the dried chickpeas overnight or for about 8 to 10 hours
- In a pressure cooker , add the chickpeas, tea bags, salt, baking soda and the spices mentioned above.
- Add enough water to soak the chickpeas and pressure cook for about 5 to 6 whistles.
- Save the water from the cooked chickpeas for the gravy.
Prepare the gravy
- Heat oil in a large pan and add the onion paste and sautee well
- Next add the ginger garlic paste and keep stirring till the raw smell goes away.
- Next add the tomato paste and cook well covered until oil floats on top
- Add the spice powders mentioned above and mix well
- To this add the cooked chickpeas along with the dark brown water in which it was cooked
- Mash the chickpeas well till you get a thick gravy
Tempering
- Heat 1 tbsp oil
- Add the chopped garlic and slit green chillies and fry till browned
- Add the red chilli powder and cumin powder and switch off flame
- Add this to the gravy and mix well.
- Garnish with sliced chopped coriander leaves, lemon and raw onions .Enjoy with Rotis, bread or Rice !
Notes
- Using canned tomato paste will give a nice color, so even if you are using regular tomatoes in this dish, add a little paste for the bright color, but make sure to adjust the quantity so it does not get too sour.
- If you do not like too much of a sour taste in this gravy, adjust the dry mango powder and pomegranate powder as needed, as the gravy is already tangy from the tomatoes and lemon juice that we add in the end.
- Crush the chickpeas with the back of the ladle to get a nice consistency for the gravy.
- The addition of tempered oil or ghee with garlic, green chilies, red chili powder, and cumin powder to the gravy makes it taste even better, so do not skip this step.
- Soak the tea bags along with the chickpeas overnight, and that will help get the nice deep color.
Great recipe! Looks lovely!👏👏
Thanks a lot !
Yum ! Looks super delicious 😋
Thank you Smitha!
Wonderful recipe! It sounds authentic and looks delicious.
Thank you Megala, it is a nice variation and tastes really good!