pindi chana

the pindi chana or pindi chole recipe i wanted to make from a long time and finally managed to make this a few days back. this was again an awesome and spicy chana recipe that is made for the indian taste buds.

have adapted this recipe from 1000 Great Indian Recipes. this chana recipe was one of the easiest and simplest recipes i have made.

no grinding, no long frying or sauting (bhunaoing) and no making or powdering the chole masala. all you need is readymade chole masala /chana masala. and the rest everything is easy and quick. since its quick than the other chole recipes i have made, i have decided to make it regularly. i wonder why i did not make the pindi chana earlier.

before posting the recipe, i did some research on google for pindi chana and i found some facts mentioned below:

1. the chana recipe is from rawalpindi in punjab, pakistan, hence the name pindi chana.
2. the recipe does not have onions and tomatoes added to it hence its dry unlike punjabi chole. onions are served in raw form.
3. dry mango powder and dry pomegranate seeds powder is added to the chana for sourness.
4. the chana has a brown tinge to it made by using tea bags/tea leaves or gooseberry (amla).

i have not added any pomegranate seed powder as the chole masala already has it. though i added some dry mango powder towards the end just to increase some sourness. the chole masala has all the spices which one normally finds in chole recipes. here a peek into the list of ingredients in the chole masala.

so lets begin with pindi chana recipe.

first start with soaking the chana overnight for 8-9 hours. the next day boil the chana in enough water in a pressure cooker with cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom, bay leaves, black salt and tea bag/bags. i think i should i have used one more tea bag to get a darker hue on the chana. drain the chana and remove the whole spices and tea bag. here’s the cooked chanas with the spices and tea bag.

heat oil in a pan and add crushed ginger garlic or ginger garlic paste.

fry the ginger garlic till the raw smell disappears.

now add all the red chili powder, coriander powder, chole masala and garam masala.

fry the masala for a minute on a low flame taking care not to burn it.

add the cooked chana.

mix the cooked chana with the masala so that the chana gets coated with the masala. add black salt too.

saute for 5-7 minutes on a low flame occasionally stirring in between.

the last part is the addition of fresh lemon juice to the chana. i chose not to add it to the chana and instead serve the lemon with the chana. garnish with coriander leaves (i did not have them) and serve the pindi chana with sliced or chopped onions, lemon slices, julienned ginger and green chillies along with bhatura, naan, rotis or puri.

the pics for this pindi chana recipe are the best ones i have clicked so far. i did not want to spoil the beauty of the images hence i have not watermarked my website’s name on it. and they are shot with my simple and handy nikon point and shoot camera.

i am so lazy with the pictures, i just add the food in a bowl or plate and take the photographs. i don’t use any props or special lighting for my food pictures.

but i have observed that food pics taken outside or near a window where one gets ample light are markedly different than the ones taken in a room. so my first lesson – light is an important element in food photography

also since i like dark strong background i have used a black background for the pics. and the result is too good.

pindi channa recipe details below:

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pindi chana

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes

Serving Size: 3

ingredients

For cooking the chickpeas:
• 250 gms white chickpeas/kabuli chana/chole
• 3 cloves
• 2 cinnamon
• 2 black cardamoms
• 2 green cardamoms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tea bag
• 2-3 tsp black salt
For making the pindi chana:
• 3 tsp ginger garlic paste or crushed ginger garlic
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2-3 tsp chole masala/chana masala
• 1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
• 2 tbsp oil
• black salt/kala namak or regular salt

method:

For cooking the chickpeas:
1. soak the chickpeas for 8-9 hours
2. boil the soaked chickpeas with the whole spices, black salt and tea bag/bags in a pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes. if the chickpeas are not cooked completely than pressure cook them for a few more minutes.
3. you could also tie all the spices in a muslin and make a bouquet garni and add it to the chickpeas.
4. drain the chickpeas. remove the spices and tea bag.
For making the pindi chana:
5. in a pan heat oil and fry the crushed ginger garlic or ginger garlic paste.
6. when the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears add all the spice powders.
7. fry the spice powders for a minute.
8. add the boiled chickpeas and mix it well with the masala.
9. add black salt and check for seasoning. adjust the seasoning if required by adding more salt or powdered spices.
10. let the chana cook for 5-7 minutes in the masala on a low flame.
11. lastly add lemon juice to the chana and mix it well.
12. serve hot with onion rings, green chillies and lemon wedges accompanied with naan, bhatura, puri or even roti.

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