pindi chole | vegan pindi chana

Pindi chole recipe With step by step photos – pindi chana is one of the easiest and tasty vegan chana recipe to make. As no grinding, no long frying or sauteing (bhunaoing) is required 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 pindi chole is quick to prepare 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.

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 pindi chole recipe from cookbook – “1000 Great Indian Recipes, the Ultimate Book of Indian Cuisine” by Neeta Dutta. This chana recipe was one of the easiest and simplest recipes I have made.

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.

Serve the Pindi chana with sliced or chopped onions, lemon slices, julienned ginger and green chillies along with bhatura, naan, tandoori rotis or poori.

How to make pindi chole

1. First start with soaking the chole/chickpeas overnight for 8-9 hours. The next day boil the chole 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 chole. Drain the chole and remove the whole spices and tea bag. here’s the cooked chole with the spices and tea bag.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add crushed ginger-garlic or ginger-garlic paste.

3. Saute the ginger-garlic till the raw aroma disappears.

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

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

6. Add the cooked chana.

7. Mix the cooked chana with the masala so that the chana gets coated with the masala. Add salt too.

8. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes on a low flame, occasionally stirring in between.

9. 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 pindi chana. garnish with coriander leaves (i did not have them).

Serve the Pindi chole with sliced or chopped onions, lemon slices, julienned ginger and green chillies along with bhatura, naan, rotis or puri.

Few more tasty recipes for you!

• Chana masala – South Indian style with coconut
• Chole recipe – Punjabi style
• Rajma recipe
• Amritsari chole
• Chickpea curry – easy recipe made without chana masala powder.

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Pindi Chole

5 from 6 votes

By Dassana Amit

Pindi chana is a delicious chickpea curry made in Punjabi style with chole masala powder.

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Prep Time 8 hrs 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 8 hrs 30 mins

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Cuisine Indian, Punjabi

Course: Main Course

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Servings 3

Units

Ingredients

for cooking chickpeas

• ▢ 250 grams dried white chickpeas (kabuli chana or safed chole)
• ▢ 3 cloves
• ▢ 2 sticks cinnamon - each of 1 inch
• ▢ 2 black cardamoms
• ▢ 2 green cardamoms
• ▢ 2 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• ▢ 1 black tea bag
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black salt

for making pindi chole

• ▢ 3 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste or crushed ginger-garlic
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coriander powder (ground coriander)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• ▢ 2 to 3 teaspoons chole masala (chana masala powder)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oil
• ▢ salt as required
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice or add as required

Instructions

For cooking chickpeas

• Soak the chole for 8 to 9 hours
• 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 then pressure cook them for a few more minutes.
• You could also tie all the spices in a muslin and make a bouquet garni and add it to the chickpeas.
• Drain the chickpeas. Remove the spices and tea bag.

For making pindi chole

• In a pan heat oil and saute the crushed ginger-garlic or ginger-garlic paste.
• When the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic disappears. Then add all the spice powders.
• Saute the spice powders for a minute on a low flame.
• Add the boiled chickpeas and mix it well with the masala.
• Add salt and check for seasoning. Adjust the seasoning if required by adding more salt or powdered spices.
• Let the chickpeas cook for 5 to 7 minutes in the masala on a low flame.
• Lastly, add lemon juice to the chickpeas and mix it well. Instead of adding lemon juice at this step, you can also serve lemon wedges with pindi chana. 
• Serve pindi chole hot with onion rings, green chillies and lemon wedges accompanied with naan, bhatura, puri or even roti.

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