Chole - Chana Masala
I struggle to pick my favorites, but I’m confident that this chole or chana masala is in the top 5, which says a lot. Tender chickpeas sit in this deep, flavorful, and spicy gravy. It’s comforting, wholesome, and SO delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry chickpeas
- 2 black tea bags
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 green cardamoms
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1.5 cups tomato puree (made by processing ~ 3 tomatoes)
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder (sub ½ tsp red chili powder)
- 1 tbsp amchur (dried mango powder)
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Soak 2 cups of dry chickpeas overnight or 8+ hours with plenty of water.
- Drain the chickpeas and add to a pressure cooker with 3 cups water (or as much water as it takes to be 1-inch above the chickpeas), the black tea bags. whole spices, and salt. See notes for an alternative.
- Pressure cook the chickpeas on medium-high. After the first whistle goes off, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 10 minutes before taking it off the heat.
- For the flavor base, add 2 tbsp avocado oil to a medium saucepan. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Then add onion and let it cook for 4-5 minutes. Add tomato puree made from 3 tomatoes (~ 1.5 cups of paste) and salt. Cook on medium-high until juices have mostly evaporated. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
- Now add all the ground spices. Cook with the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes. Add the pressure cooked chickpeas!
- Stir well, add more water if needed for your desired texture, and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, simmer uncovered on medium for 20 minutes.
Notes
Alternative to 2 black tea bags: You can also do 2 tbsp loose leaf tea tied in a muslin cloth. If you're using canned chickpeas, you can separately prepare black tea to add in later.