Amritsari Chole

Description

• Ethnicity - Punjabi, North Indian
• Type of meal - Party, Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients

To Boil

• 250 grams chole (chickpeas)
• 1 teabag (this is used to give the black colour)
• 4 – 6 pieces kali ilaichi
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon black salt ( use as desired or mix half of white salt and half of black salt)
• 3 – 4 green chillies - finely chopped
• 2 – 3 tomatoes - finely chopped
• 1 piece ginger - finely chopped
• 2 – 3 tsp green coriander - finely chopped
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• ½ tsp mango powder (aamchur)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• red chilies to taste
• 2 tsp dry coriander
• 100 gms ghee
• 2 pieces bay leaves

Dry Spices (masala)

• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• 6 pieces clove
• 1 piece cinnamon
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp anardana

Directions

1. Soak chole (chickpeas) in water to soak overnight.
2. Take a pressure cooker ( or use a normal vessel for boiling) and add Chole, tea bag, salt and Black Elaichi and add lots of water and boil for 10 minutes in the pressure cooker (30 minutes in a normal vessel). DO NOT OVERCOOK .If you overcook chole it will end up like a starchy paste.
3. After cooking discard the teaback.
4. On a Tava or a frypan , roast all dry masala and make a rough powder out of that and keep aside.
5. In a separate pan heat oil and add bayleaves and then fry the onions till golden brown.
6. Add garam masala and tomatoes and fry and then add all the chole ( keep the water separately ) in the pan and mix well for 2 minutes.
7. Add the dry masala which you have already roasted on a pan.
8. Add water in which you boiled the Chole earlier.
9. Let it bring to a boil and then let it simmer for 10 minutes.
10. If the curry looks too thick then add some water.
11. Mash some of the chole by pressing it with a spatula to give it a thick consistency like thick cream.
12. Garnish it with chopped coriander. Green chillies halves.
13. red onions soaked in vinegar are an excellent accompaniment with chole.
14. Serve with rice, or Bhature .

Tips

1. The chole which you eat in the shops have slightly blackish colour.
2. This can be achieved in many ways at home.
3. While boiling the choles add teabags ( 1 or 2 ) to add the slightly black colour.
4. Add 2 -3 drops of soy sauce while you finished the cooking( DO NOT add more than this otherwise the taste will be overshadowed with soy sauce flavour)
5. While Preparing the dry masala , Roast them till they start getting burnt and turn black.