Chole Recipe Punjabi Chole Masala

This Punjabi chole recipe gets this beautiful brown color, as the chickpeas are cooked with black tea bags and a few whole spices. Cooking the chickpeas this way renders the curry its beautiful brown color. This chole recipe is a popular Indian street food recipe in North India, which is served alongside bhature, onion salad, and chatpate aloo. If you ask me what my favorite dish in Indian cuisine is. It is so hard to pick one. But, I can confidently say that I have inherited a love for chole bhature from my parents. They both love this dish and is their favorite. This chole recipe is typically served with bhature. I am not a big fan of deep frying, so I make bhatura very rarely. I like to serve this Punjabi chole recipe with Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice when I make it during the weekdays! And if you want a weekday chole recipe, try my chana masala.

What is Chole?

Punjabi chole masala is a chickpea curry famous from the state of Punjab in India. This chickpea curry is famous as chole bhature. I believe this recipe was invented in Amristar, a town in Punjab, and is popular street food there. What makes this recipe different, is the way the chickpeas are cooked. I like to use black tea bags, while cooking the chickpeas, because the tea flavor is extracted, without tea leaves being mixed with the cooked chickpeas. Traditionally this recipe is cooked in ghee, with whole and ground spices. I also like to make fresh chole spice powder to add to this recipe. But, of course, you can use store-bought masala too. I make this recipe mostly during the festive season or when I am hosting my family and friends.

Why You’ll Love This Punjabi Chole Recipe

This is one of my favorite curry recipes, that I make during special occasions and festivities along with my bhatura recipe. Here’s why I think you’ll love this recipe

This recipe is smoky, herby, and spicy, with tanginess from dry mango powder which adds an oomph to this recipe. This curry is cooked with fresh whole and ground spices which adds a scrumptious depth of flavor. The chickpeas are boiled with black tea which adds a beautiful brown color to the curry. The recipe is easy to make and can be made ahead of time. This is a great recipe to make while hosting or for potlucks.

Ingredients To Make This Punjabi Chole Recipe

Boiled Chickpeas - Boil the soaked chickpeas with tea bags and whole spices using the instant pot or pressure cooker. Oil and Ghee - We will cook the curry using both oil and ghee. Tempering Spices- I like to use cumin seeds and asafetida for tempering this recipe. Herbs and Aromatics- I recommend adding cilantro stalks, kasoori methi, freshly pounded ginger garlic, and green chilies. Curry Base- We will be using 1 cup of finely chopped onion, and puree one tomato in this recipe. Ground Spices - We will be adding red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur powder, and chole spice powder.

Step-By-Step to Make this Punjabi Chole Recipe

Boil the Chickpeas

If you are making the bhaturas, prepare the dough before starting to work on the chickpea curry.
Add soaked and drained chickpeas to the instant pot or pressure cooker.
To this add 2.5 cups of water.
To make this Punjabi chole recipe, make a potli (bag) of spices. In a small muslin cloth, place 2 tea bags, or 2 teaspoons of loose black tea leaves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom, 2-3 green cardamoms, 3 peppercorns, 2 cloves, and 1 medium bay leaf. Tie it, and place it in the instant pot or pressure cooker.
Close the instant pot lid, and press pressure cook. Manually adjust the time to 20 minutes, and pressure cook on high pressure. Once the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally.
Open the instant pot lid carefully, once the pressure releases naturally. Use tongs to take out the tea bags and whole spices. Keep it aside.

Make the Chole Spice Powder

Add dried 2 Kashmiri red chilies, 1 medium bay leaves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon carrom seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 4 black peppercorns, 2 cloves and 2 black cardamoms in a pan.
Dry roast the spices until aromatic, while stirring it continuously. Let it cool.
Once the roasted spices have cooled completely, add the roasted spices to the spice grinder. To this add 1.5 teaspoons amchur powder. Grind the spices until powdered. Store it in an airtight container. Use this spice powder in my chana masala and chana pulao recipes.

Cook the Chickpeas Curry

Now in a heavy bottom pot, add ghee and oil. To this add cilantro stalks, kasoori methi, freshly pounded ginger garlic and green chilies. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add finely chopped onions. Cook them until golden brown.
To this add tomato puree, and ground spices. Add red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur powder, and chole spice powder. Mix well. Cook until ghee separates.
Garnish the Punjabi chole masala with cilantro.
In a small frying pan, add ghee. Once hot add julienned ginger and slit green chilies. Turn off the flame. Add Kashmiri red chili powder.
Drizzle on the prepared Punjabi chole masala before serving! It adds a scrumptious flavor to the chole recipe.

Variations of This Chole Recipe

If you don’t want to use the tea bags, for this Punjabi chole masala then add dried amla (gooseberries) instead. Add boiled potato to this chickpea curry recipe. You can also cut some paneer pieces and add them to this chickpea curry recipe. You can use black chickpeas to make this recipe instead of white chickpeas. Use canned chickpeas, black beans, or pinto beans to make this curry. Follow from cooking the curry steps.

Serving Suggestions for This Chickpea Curry

Chole bhature is a very famous dish enjoyed in north India. Here’s you serve these perfect bhatura. Serve the Punjabi Chole piping hot right off the pan, with Bhatura, or Jeera Rice. You can also serve some papadums and pickled onions on the side to complete the meal. If I am hosting, I always make mango lassi to go with this meal. You can make my popular classic rice kheer recipe, or Gajar Halwa to finish this delicious meal on a sweet note!!!

Storage Instructions for Punjabi Chole Recipe

Store the leftover chole in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat the Punjabi Chole Masala in the microwave as needed for 2 minutes. You can also freeze the chole, for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw the curry overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until warm to serve.