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This Punjabi Chana Masala or Chole Masala is an authentic North Indian style Chickpea Curry made with white chickpeas, freshly powdered spices, onions, tomatoes and herbs.
Chana masala is a naturally vegan recipe with added health benefits of the chickpeas which are packed full of protein, minerals and fiber.
In this post, I am sharing 2 super delicious chana masala recipes.
- Authentic Punjabi Chana Masala – Made in a pan on the stovetop with freshly ground spices.
- Instant Pot Chana Masala (Home Style) – One pot, super easy and does not require the special chana masala spice blend or powder.
Both the recipes are shared with step by step photos and taste awesome. So you can make either of them depending upon the gadgets and time you have.
Table of Contents
What is Chana Masala?
Chana Masala is a popular Indian dish of white chickpeas in a spicy and tangy gravy. In North India, chana masala is called as ‘chole masala’ or simply ‘chole’.
Both the words “Chana” and “Chole” refer to chickpeas. In Hindi language, the word “Masala” means a mixture of spices. In chana masala – specifically the word ‘masala’ means a mixture of ground spices.
There are many variations of making chana masala, but I like the Punjabi chana recipe shared here the most. It tastes like the chana masala you get in the streets of Delhi and Punjab.
Across India, chickpea curries are made in various styles. Of the many chickpea curry recipes I have shared, majority of them are vegan or can easily be veganized.
More Indian chickpea curries for you!
Vegan Recipes
amritsari chole
Vegan Recipes
pindi chole | vegan pindi chana
Vegan Recipes
palak chole | spinach with chickpeas
About this Chole Masala Recipe
This chickpea curry recipe was originally inspired and adapted from Anita’s blog and posted in 2009. Yes, over ten years ago!
Since the original posting, I have continued to perfect the recipe, making changes in proportions as well as ingredients.
The result is this recipe, which gives a chana masala that has a good balance of spiciness, taste and flavor. In the process, I also updated the pictures in the post and added a video.
This is one easy and yet lip smacking Punjabi chana masala recipe which tastes awesome. It is one of the most tried and tested delicious chickpea curry recipes on the blog. It has been made innumerable times by me as well as by many readers.
This chana masala recipe reminds me of Chole Bhature, which is our favorite dish. Chole Bhature is a Punjabi chickpea curry dish that is served with a fried leavened puffed bread known as “Bhature”.
When living in Delhi and Gurgaon, we would get awesome chole bhature in many places.
Since I do not live in these places any more, I would crave for the street style chole bhature and this chana masala curry fits in perfectly.
It tastes exactly like the North Indian street side chickpea curry, minus the heat, since we don’t prefer our food to be too spicy.
However if you prefer spicier food, increase the quantity of red chili powder, green chillies and garam masala powder to get the extra spice and heat.
Soaking Chickpeas
While making any chickpea or Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry), it is always better to soak the chickpeas overnight or at least for 8 hours as then it is easier to cook them.
Soaking beans or chickpeas reduce the phytic acid which causes bloating and flatulence.
Pro Tip: If you have forgotten to soak the chickpeas, then add the chickpeas to hot boiled water. Cover and soak for 1 to 2 hours.
I would always suggest to soak chickpeas and not directly cook the dried chickpeas.
Soaking also reduces the cooking time and ensures that the chickpeas are really softened well. This not only gives a good texture but the chickpeas also become easy to digest.
Tips & Substitutes
- Dried Amla (Dried Indian Gooseberry) and Dry Pomegranate Seeds: The dried amla gives a dark color to the chole, along with a light tang. The pomegranate seeds give a sour taste. Find these ingredients at Indian specialty food stores or online at amazon.com.
- If you cannot find these ingredients, add dry mango powder (amchur powder) towards the end. In the absence of amchur powder, you can also squeeze some lime juice towards the end.
- You can also use a black tea bag to achieve the darker color. If you are not fussy about the dark color, then just cook the chickpeas in water with some salt.
- Chana Masala Spices: what contributes to the flavors and aroma of this dish are the freshly ground chole masala spices. The whole spices are roasted until they get extra browned and are later ground. This chole masala spice powder is then blended with a sautéed onion-ginger-tomato mixture. that makes the chickpea curry more flavorful.
Serving Suggestions for Chana Masala
As I have explained earlier, I prefer my chana masala served with a poori or roti . Some great options are: tandoori roti, phulka, kulcha, bhatura or naan.
Add some sliced onions and lime and you have the perfect Indian snack. This chana masala also tastes good with plain rice or jeera rice.
How to make Chana Masala
For ease of understanding, I have divided this post into 3 steps.
- Step 1 – soaking and cooking chickpeas
- Step 2 – roasting spices to make chana masala powder
- Step 3 – making chana gravy
Lets begin with step 1 – soaking and pressure cooking chickpeas
1. Wash and soak 1 cup chickpeas (chana or chole) in enough water overnight. Add enough water to take into account that the chickpeas increase in size during soaking. Rinse the soaked chickpeas in water. Rinsed and soaked chickpeas pictured below.
2. To give a dark color to the chickpeas, traditionally dried amla (Indian gooseberries) are added. These also give a faint sourness to the stock. If you do not have dried amla, then add 1 black tea bag. If you do not care about the dark color, then you can also just cook the chickpeas with salt and water.
3. In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas along with the 2 to 3 dried amla pieces or 1 black tea bag. Taj tea bags work very well. Then pour in 2.5 to 3 cups water.
4. Season with ½ tsp salt. Stir very well.
5. Pressure cook the chickpeas for 12 to 15 whistles. The chickpeas should be cooked well and softened. The chickpeas should be soft when you mash it with a spoon. The chickpeas should not give you a bite when you eat it. If you do not have a pressure cooker, then cook the chickpeas in a pot with plenty of water. Depending on the quality of chickpeas, it can take less or more time.
Step 2 – Making chole masala powder
6. Meanwhile, in a pan, take all the whole spices for the chole masala and on a low heat begin to roast them. The spices used for masala are the following:
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 to 4 peppercorns
- 2 cloves
- 1 medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)or 2 small tej patta
- ¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp dry pomegranate seeds
- 1 or 2 dry red chilies
7. Stir often and roast the spices until they get extra browned. Don’t burn them, but you have to go beyond a normal roasting point with them. Don’t stop even after they become fragrant, as they need to get more browned than usual.
8. The extra browned and roasted spices are pictured below.
9. Let these roasted spices cool and then grind them finely in a coffee grinder or in a dry grinder.
10. By now the chickpeas are cooked (pictured below). You will see a darker brown shade in the white chickpeas. Remove the amla pieces, which would have softened by now, or the tea bag from the stock and discard them.
Step 3 – Making Chana Masala Gravy
11. Heat 1.5 to 2 tbsp oil in a pan or kadai. Add ½ tsp ginger-garlic paste and sauté until their raw aroma goes away.
12. Then add 1 medium sized finely chopped onion and saute till the onions turn translucent or light brown.
13. Add 1 medium sized finely chopped tomato.
14. Sauté the tomatoes until they soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
15. Then add the powdered spices that we made, along with ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
16. Stir well. Then add 2 to 3 slit green chilies to the onion-ginger-tomato mixture.
17. Add the cooked & drained chickpeas. Reserve the stock.
18. Mix very well.
19. Season with salt as per requirement. Mix again. Keep the addition of salt in check as salt is also there in the stock.
20. Add about 1 to 1.25 cups of the reserved stock or water. Stir well.
21. Cover and simmer on a low to medium flame. You can also cook chickpeas without the lid. The gravy will thicken and reduce. Mash a few chickpeas. This will help thicken the chickpea curry. You can keep the consistency you prefer. At home, we prefer chole with a bit of gravy.
22. If you have not added dry pomegranate seeds while roasting the spices, then you need to add amchur powder (dry mango powder) now. About 1 teaspoon amchur powder is enough. However, you can add less or more of it as per your taste. Stir the gravy very well.
23. The chana masala is ready to be served.
24. Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro (coriander leaves). Serve the Punjabi chole with a fried Indian breads like bhatura or poori, along with sliced onions, ginger julienne and lime wedges. This chickpea curry also tastes good with plain rice or cumin rice.
This recipe post is from the archives (August 2009) and has been republished and updated on 6th June 2020.
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Chana Masala | Indian Chickpea Curry
By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
for pressure cooking white chickpeas
- 1 cup / 200 grams dried white chickpeas (garbanzo beans, kabuli chana or safed chole)
- 2.5 to 3 cups water for pressure cooking the chickpeas
- 2 to 3 dried amla or indian gooseberry or 1 black tea bag, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
ingredients for gravy
- 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste or 2 to 3 small garlic cloves + ½ inch ginger, crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder – optional
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder), optional and only to be added when you do not have dry pomegranate seeds
- 2 to 3 green chilies – slit
- 1 to 1.25 cups water or the stock in which the chickpeas were cooked
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoons oil
- salt as required
spices for chole masala powder
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 to 4 black peppers
- 2 cloves
- 1 medium sized tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon dry pomegranate seeds
- 1 to 2 kashmiri dry red chilies
for garnishing
- some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- ½ inch ginger – julienne
- 1 medium onion sliced or chopped
- 1 medium tomato sliced or chopped
- 1 lime or lemon, sliced or quartered
Instructions
soaking and cooking white chickpeas
- Rinse and soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight. Add enough amount of water as the chickpeas increase in size after soaking it. Rinse the soaked chickpeas.
- To give a dark color to the chickpeas, traditionally dried amla (indian gooseberries) are added. These also give a faint sourness to the stock. If you do not have dried amla, then add 1 black tea bag.
- In a pressure cooker add the chickpeas along with the 3 to 4 dried amla pieces or 1 black tea bag. Taj tea bags work very well. Then add water
- Season with salt and pressure cook the chickpeas for 12 to 15 whistles. The chickpeas should be cooked well and softened. The chickpeas should be soft when you mash it with a spoon. The chickpeas should not give you a bite when you eat it.
roasting spices
- In a pan, take all the whole spices for the chole masala powder mentioned above and on a low heat begin to roast them.
- Stir often and roast the spices till they get extra browned. Don’t burn them. You have to go beyond a point roasting them even after they become fragrant and they get more browned than what is the norm usually.
- Let these roasted spices cool and then grind them finely in a coffee grinder or in a dry grinder.
- By now the chana will be cooked. You will see a darker brown shade in the safed (white chana). Remove the amla pieces which would have softened by now or the tea bag from the stock.
making chole masala
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till their raw aroma goes away.
- Then add chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent or light brown.
- Add tomatoes & saute them till they soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the masala.
- Then add the powdered chole masala that we ground, along with the red chili powder, turmeric powder & garam masala powder (optional).
- Stir the dry masala and then add slit green chilies
- Add the cooked chole. Stir well.
- Add salt. Then add about 1 to 1.25 cups of the stock in which the chana was boiled. You can also add water instead.
- Stir and cover the chana.
cooking chole masala
- Simmer on a low to medium flame. You can also cook without the lid.
- The gravy will thicken and reduce. Mash a few chickpeas. This will help thicken the gravy.
- Simmer till you get the consistency you prefer. The consistency of this chickpea curry is not thin, but medium consistency or dry.
- If you have not added dry pomegranate seeds while roasting the spices, then you need to add amchur powder (dry mango powder) now. Stir the gravy well.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves & ginger julienne.
- Serve the Punjabi chana masala with kulchas, bhaturas, pooris, rotis, along with sliced onions, tomatoes and lime.
- This Chickpea Curry also tastes good with steamed rice or jeera rice.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have amchur (dry mango powder) or dried pomegranate seeds then add lime or lemon juice toward the end.
- You can also use canned chickpeas and add them once the tomatoes are sautéed.
- You can skip making the chana masala powder from scratch and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of packaged chana masala powder instead.
Cooking chickpeas in the pan or pot then:
- You have to take enough water in the pot while cooking the chickpeas. It takes a lot of time though. For 1.5 to 2 cups of soaked & drained chickpeas, you can take about 5-6 cups of water.
- Adding a pinch of baking soda in the water along with salt, also helps in the cooking process and the chickpeas become really soft when cooked.
- You can add about 1 teaspoons of salt. A little less salt is also alright. I usually add less salt.
- Cover the pot and cook the chickpeas. If the water starts to become frothy, then remove the lid and cook chickpeas for some minutes. Remove the scum if there is any while cooking the chickpeas.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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About Instant Pot Chana Masala
This Chana Masala recipe is one pot, super easy and does not require the special chana masala spice blend or powder.
You also don’t need to make this spice blend at home, as is done in Punjabi Chana Masala recipe shared above. The recipe is also gluten-free and vegan.
This is again my mother in law’s homely chickpea curry recipe that is so good when served with rice or had with naan or roti or poori (Indian fried bread). Since this recipe also happens to be our favorite chickpea curry, I often end up making this one at home in the Instant Pot.
This home style Punjabi chana masala recipe is simple in the sense that everything including the chickpeas are cooked together in the IP. Later everything is simmered till you get a medium consistency in the gravy. The recipe is also not spicy.
There is one special aromatic spice that is added to this chana masala gravy. Guess?
No, it is not black cardamoms or cloves or cinnamon. It is carom seed (ajwain or omam). Carom seeds also help in digestion. Now if you do not have carom seeds, kindly skip them altogether and the instant pot chickpea curry will still taste good.
Serve Instant Pot Chana Masala with finely chopped onions, green chilli and lemon wedges with a side of bread, dinner rolls, naan bread, roti, poori or steamed rice.
Topping with chopped onions or lemon juice on the chickpea curry really adds a lot of taste.
Step-by-step Instant Pot Chickpea Curry
1. Rinse and then soak 1 cup dried white chickpeas overnight or for 8 to 9 hours in enough water. Rinse the soaked chickpeas in running water for a couple of times. Drain all the water and keep aside.
2. Switch on the IP and press the sauté button setting the time to 12 minutes on normal mode.
3. Heat oil. Let the oil become hot (but not sizzling or smoking hot). Add the whole spices – 1 inch cinnamon, 6 cloves, 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf), 2 black cardamoms, 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.
4. Let the spices crackle and splutter.
5. Then add ½ cup finely chopped onions.
6. Mix and begin to sauté the onions.
7. Sauté till the onions turn translucent.
8. Now add 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons finely garlic and 2 to 3 slit green chillies.
9. Sauté for about 6 to 7 seconds. While sautéing, if the ingredients start sticking or the heat is too much, then reduce the sauté setting to low. Alternatively you can sprinkle some water and deglaze the pan.
10. Add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes.
11. Mix well and begin to sauté the tomatoes. If the tomatoes start sticking, then sprinkle some water. Mix and continue to sauté.
12. Sauté till tomatoes soften and become pulpy.
13. Add the spice powders – ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder. If you do not have kashmiri red chilli powder, then add 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon red chilli powder.
14. Mix very well and sauté for 3 to 4 seconds.
15. Add soaked chickpeas.
16. Mix very well and deglaze the pan. Add salt as per taste.
17. Add 3 cups water.
18. Press the cancel button and press the pressure cook button. Select high pressure and set the time for 30 minutes.
19. Once the pressure cooking is complete and after the beep is heard, wait for 12 to 15 minutes or more for natural pressure release (NPR). If steam is there, then lift the valve and do a quick pressure release (QPR). Check to see if the chickpeas are cooked and softened. If the chickpeas are al dente or undercooked, then pressure cook for 5 minutes more. Note that aged or old chickpeas will take a lot of time to cook.
19. Now press the cancel button again and press the sauté button setting the time to 10 minutes on normal mode.
20. Let the curry come to a simmer. Mash a few chickpeas before the curry starts simmering. This helps in thickening the gravy.
21. Simmer till you get the desired gravy consistency (which is neither thin nor very thick).
22. Then add 1 teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon dry mango powder. If you do not have dry mango powder, then add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
23. Mix well. Simmer for a minute. If the gravy becomes too thick, then add some water.
24. Serve Instant Pot Chana Masala garnished with some coriander leaves (cilantro) with a side of steamed rice, cumin rice, bread, dinner rolls, roti, puri or bhatura. Do serve with a side of some finely chopped onions, lemon wedges and green chillies (optional).
Instant Pot Chana Masala
By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
For Soaking Chickpeas
- 1 cup dried white chickpeas (white chana or chole) – soaked overnight
- water as required for soaking
Other Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil – sunflower oil, peanut oil or any vegetable oil
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 6 cloves
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium sized onion, 50 to 60 grams
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 2 to 3 green chilies slit or whole – note that keeping the chillies whole won't make the chana masala spicy.
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes or 2 medium-sized tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmir red chilli powder or deghi mirch or 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups water
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder or punjabi garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or add as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
serving suggestions
- some sliced onions
- few lemon wedges
- few green chillies – optional
Instructions
- Rinse and then soak 1 cup chickpeas overnight or for 8 to 9 hours in enough water. Later rinse the soaked chickpeas in running water for a couple of times. Drain all the water and keep aside.
- Switch on the IP and press the sauté button setting the time to 12 minutes on normal mode. Keep all the ingredients ready before you begin.
- Add oil in the steel insert and let it become hot (but not smoking hot).
- Add the cinnamon, cloves, black cardamoms, tej patta, cumin seeds and carom seeds. Let them crackle and splutter.
- Add onions and sauté them till translucent.
- Now add finely chopped ginger, garlic and slit green chillies.
- Sauté for about 6 to 7 seconds. While sautéing, if the ingredients start sticking or the heat is too much, then reduce the sauté setting to low. Alternatively you can sprinkle some water and deglaze.
- Next add chopped tomatoes and sauté till they soften and become pulpy.
- If the tomatoes start sticking, then sprinkle some water. Mix and continue to sauté.
- Add turmeric and kashmiri red chilli powder. Mix very well and sauté for 3 to 4 seconds.
- Add soaked chickpeas. Mix very well and deglaze the pan. Then add salt as per taste.
- Add water and deglaze the pan if required.
- Press the cancel button and press the pressure cook button. Select high pressure and set the time for 30 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking is complete and after the beep is heard, wait for 12 to 15 minutes or more for natural pressure release (NPR). If steam is there, then lift the valve and do a quick pressure release (QPR). Check to see if the chickpeas are cooked and softened. If the chickpeas are undercooked, then pressure cook for 5 more minutes.
- Now press the cancel button again and press the sauté button setting the time to 10 minutes on normal mode.
- Let the curry come to a simmer. Mash a few chickpeas before the curry starts simmering. This helps in thickening the gravy.
- Simmer till you get the desired gravy consistency (which is neither thin nor very thick but medium or slightly thick consistency). Then add garam masala powder and dry mango powder. If you do not have dry mango powder, then add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
- Mix well and Simmer for a minute. If the gravy becomes too thick, then add some water.
- Serve Chana Masala garnished with some coriander leaves (cilantro) with a side of steamed rice, cumin rice, bread, dinner rolls, roti, puri or bhatura. Do keep a side of some finely chopped onions, lemon wedges and green chillies.
Notes
- Spicing: You can increase or reduce the spice powders, especially kashmiri red chilli powder. Do not increase the garam masala powder, but you can reduce the quantity. You can even add chana masala powder instead of garam masala powder.
- Chickpeas: Use chickpeas which are fresh and in their shelf period. Avoid using aged or old chickpeas as they do not cook well and take a lot of time.
- Tomatoes: You can use canned tomatoes in the recipe. Crush the canned tomatoes and add 1 cup of it. You can even add ½ cup of tomato puree if you do not have fresh tomatoes.
- Onions: You can use both red onions or white onions.
- Black Cardamoms: There is a slight smoky flavor in the chana masala due to Black Cardamoms. So it an essential ingredient. However, skip if you do not have black cardamoms. The smoky hints won’t be there, but still the chana masala will taste good.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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Tried this recipe today, it came out very yummy. Thanks for this awesome recipe !! 😊
Welcome and thanks for the feedback. Glad to know.
Made the chole masala with fresh ground spices today. Was loved by my family and made a mundane Monday lunch superb! Thanks for the recipe – amazing balance to the spices and you have described the steps perfectly.
Thanks a lot for the sharing the lovely feedback and experience. Glad to know.
Best one
is there any way to make the chole masala mix with ground spices (and forgo the toasting/grinding step)? what conversions would you recommend from whole to ground spice? thank you!
you can try, but masala made with freshly roasted and ground spices have a different flavor & taste than the ones made with premade ground spices. difficult to tell the proportions and each spice has to be ground separately and then measured.
Hii dassana..wanted to know if am using readymade chole masala so how much tsp or tablespoon i need to add?
hi rizwana, you can add 2 to 3 teaspoons readymade chole masala.
I have lost count of how many times I’ve made this! I love it, my family loves it and best of all, it’s so delicious while being so nutritious. It pairs very well with chapati/roti/rice but my favourite way of eating is a big bowl of chhole with some cold dahi. It’s fabulous. Thank you so much for the recipe!
thanks a lot vinita. so glad to read your comment. this chole recipe is so good, that it tastes great with chapati, rice, roti and even bread. sometimes i make aloo tikki and serve extra chole masala with it. most welcome and happy cooking.
Another amazing recipe! Thank you!
welcome and thanks for the review as well as the rating.
Good receipe i try all your tasty receipe and cooking interested is growing
I want receipe of veg that can kids can eat because my kid hate vegetables
Any ideas pls share
thanks anita. i have shared many vegetable recipes. you can use the search bar and find the recipes you want.
It was good served immediately, but great the longer it sat and let the spices intermingle. Even flavor from start to finish. I used mustard seed oil.
I Loved Ur recipe… Tried it and its yummm… thank you so much ♥️
thanks and welcome smiley for the feedback as well rating.
Hello,
I have been following your blog since 5 years now. I got hooked because of the visual guide, which I found easier to follow & compare each step as I prepared the dish. Thank you so much for that.
Could you please provide the name of the small mixer which you use ? ..I’ve noticed you use that for wet as well as dry grinding, It looks so multifunctional,not to mention the compact size of it.
Again thank you for all the hard work & yummy recipes. ????
thanks chaitra. glad to know that the visual presentation is helping you.
the mixer grinder that i use (shown in this recipe) is preethi blue leaf brand. it has a small chutney grinder, 2 wet grinders and 1 juice extractor. there is another small blender i use, which is nutrivault from texet. i use this one for making milkshakes, making coriander or mint chutney and for onion, tomato paste, making small quantities of coriander powder, jeera powder etc. for grinding coconut or coconut based masala pastes, idli batter etc i use preethi blue leaf mixer-grinder. both are available on amazon.in
Thanks for the info ????????
Thank you, Dassana 🙂
Dear Dassana,
I am one of your many silent, but faithful recipe followers. Of course, your recipes are great, like this one. But what I truly admire about you is your calm, patient nature. You never get sarcastic, never not answer…even when something is unrelated to a given recipe. I think that warmth, that ability to be simple and respond to people is your biggest strength. You’ve retained this quality, despite your enormous popularity. Kudos to you!
Now, my silly question 😉
I’ve always wondered through my tears, while chopping onions, that is it really worth it? Is there a REAL difference to a Curry’s taste if the onions are ground to paste in a mixer with ginger and garlic, or if they are chopped fine? I think, you are best placed to answer this, with your home science background and experience in cooking. I am always looking at ways to shorten my cooking time. Some of my friends also freeze the basic curry and then use frozen cubes. What is your take on that? It would be wonderful if you can add section on make-ahead dishes, OPOS cooking, etc. I know, i know, I know, I know… A lot of what I ask is there in your tips…. Somehow it doesn’t leap out when I am searching. I also want to bake things, because it’s easier sometimes than standing around frying when you have guests. And carving out a section, from your already existing repertoire, for easy hacks, party planning, etc…will help.
Please keep inspiring us! My very best wishes and warm regards to you!
Sulekha
thank you much sulekha. felt good reading your comment. thanks again.
now for your query – onions whether chopped, minced or made into a paste – all three make the curry or gravy taste different. sauteed onions give a completely different taste to a gravy than minced onions or onion paste. the complete taste changes. even frying onions till light golden or golden, changes the taste of the curry. you can use frozen onion paste cubes as it saves time and effort. soak onions for about 30 minutes before peeling and chopping. the tears will be less or won’t be there.
thanks for sharing the suggestions. i will see if i can add them. thanks again.
Hi, I made this recipe for my mother’s 60th birthday Party and I got so many compliments! Almost every one noted down your blog name!
Thank you for the recipe!
thanks archana for sharing your experience and feedback on chole recipe. glad to know. welcome.
Hi Dassana! I’m in love with your recipes. I tried your many recipes and it turns out great. Thanks for the blog and keep posting your recipes.love you ????
thank you lopa for this sweet comment. hugs and wish you all the best. happy cooking.
I have tried this recipe so many times.. and every time it’s a hit.. Thank you so much for a lovely recipe.. Your recipes never fail as per my experience till now..????????
so glad to know anuprita. thanks for the feedback as well as the review.
what a simply lipsmacking gravy of chickpeas!
I cannot imagine anyone not liking this…..
HATS OFF TO YOU,MA’AM!
thank you radhika ????
Hi Dassana, just wanted to say thank you for the amazing recipes. I have used your Bhature recipe time and again, each time it turns out perfect. It really simplifies making it. Could not leave this comment there, because the thread wasn’t showing up for some reason. I too live abroad and although I have an arsenal of spices I don’t have black tea 🙂 we just aren’t tea drinkers. The amla and pomegranate seeds are going to be impossible to find. Do you have a third alternative? Or is it ok to just go without? Thanks once again, love from China.
thank you eshaa and nice to know. for the chole, just skip everything. sometimes its not possible to get all the ingredients where one lives. i hope the punjabi chana masala recipe comes very well for you.
Dear Dassana,
I absolutely love your website and this particular recipe! Now I’m in a situation where I need to make it for a hundred people… do you have some tips regarding proportions (mostly spices)? Like do I really need to put 40 black cardamoms and 40 green chilies?
Thanks for your amazing work! Regards from France, Camille.
thanks camille. when making any curry or gravy dish, the ingredients have to be added in approximation or eye balling them or intuition. so you won’t need to add 40 cardamoms and 40 green chilies. 20 will be fine of each. just feel and intuitively add the ingredients while making the recipe and you won’t go wrong. for this recipe you don’t need to double or triple exactly all the ingredients. it will create unbalanced flavor and taste. so add the spices and spice powders accordingly. only increase the amount of chickpea, water, onion and tomatoes.
First time hubby ne mere khaane ki tareef ki…all thnx to u
Welcome Deepika. Glad to know that both of you liked the dish.
Very good recipe
Maza aa gaya
Thanks Mamta
Madam j just went through comments of people,n you not only say thanks but help individually,this is out of world,please give hind name of masala like fennel,snuff ETC. One thing I m searching samosa I had eaten in child hood in Bengali sweet shop now closed,the feeling was of only patato cut in very small size but it were not boiled aloo,some black masala was ,very small size of SAMOSA, .well u r researcher ,IF U HAVE ANY VERSION PLEASE GUIDE.I HAD TO STAY AWAY FOR MONTHS SO STARTED TALKING INTEREST N TRY WHEN REACH WITH FAMILY…RAJIV
Thanks Rajiv. Fennel seeds is Saunf in Hindi. If I come across this version then I will try to add the recipe. I make it a point to reply to every comment so that it helps the readers.
I TRIED n your special masala had changed taste,very detailed given.Thanks Rajubhai
Hey! I have made the recipe exactly as written and it came out really great. My family loved the taste and am grateful to you for sharing this recipe 😀
Welcome Tara. Glad to know this. Thanks for your kind words.
Hi…
I want to make a big batch of the masala… help me out with qty… as each time roasting and grinding especially on weekdays becomes not possible….
Plssss help out
uttara, i am afraid increasing the ingredients proportionately can make the masala taste go awry. since i always add recipes which are tried and tested, i cannot give the proportions as a big batch of chole masala powder from this recipe has not been tried by me. when making any kind of masala, the spices have to be in the correct amount. even if one spice is in less or more quantity, it can ruin the flavor of the entire masala.
I’ve looked for hours as different recipes for Chole Masala and like the looks of yours the most. Your recipe is definitely the most transparent.
I usually don’t alter recipes without trying them first, but am going to go out on a limb and make the following changes:
-omit or reduce Fennel seed (it’s wayyyyy too strong for my palate)
-1/2 cup desi yogurt
-1/2 tsp hing
-dried fenugreek leaves
I will also be cooking my pre-soaked chickpeas in a rice cooker.
Anyways, I can’t wait to make this. Thanks for posting the recipe!
thanks a lot bryan. you can reduce fennel.the preference for fennel varies from person to person. i also know people who do not even like fennel seeds ????
1/2 cup yogurt will add some sourness to the curry. so i would suggest to use about 1/4th cup. hing and fenugreek leaves are fine to use.
Dasannaji d recipe workd wonderful!!..u hv become my cooking godmother!
thanks much prabha. glad to read your comment ❤️????
Hey dassana. Your recipe is as close as it can get to amritsari chole. I am from amritsar and my husband is from andhra. We live out of india and i always tell him when we visit amritsar i will take to all the awesome food joints there. I made your chana recipe and it tastes exactly like what we get in amritsar. My husband had a taste of amritsari chole without visiting the place. You made me miss my hometown even more. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe.
Welcome Geetanjali. Glad to know that the recipe helped you in recreating the taste of authentic amritsari chole.
Thank yoou for being so awesome, as always 🙂 do i have to soak the chole overnight? Is there a quicker way?
welcome suhani. yes soak the chole overnight or soak them in hot water for 2 to 3 hours.
I tried this chole recipe and it turned out very delicious . Thanks
Welcome Nabila
Thanks a lot for this recipe dear.
It was a big hit, and I m so happy that I didn’t use Bazaar ka Chhola Masala.
I’ll recommend it to everyone else too.
Welcome Bharti. Thanks for your positive feedback.
Man! I am a fan of yours! Your recipes are soo good. Recently, I tried with your veg cutlet recipe and my husband really liked it. Then today, this chole, he was all praises. :P. And all thanks to your recipes. Frankly, I don’t like to cook, but your recipes give me that motivation and they do turn out to be good. Here, I have mentioned just two, but I have tried so many recipes of yours post marriage. Thank you so much! 🙂
P.S.: Your wife is/will be so lucky to have you 😛
Thanks Akanksha for your kind words. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing you positive feedback on recipes. Happy cooking.
Do u changed the recipe?I remember when I previously visits u r blog there is only ginger,and no fennel,more quantity of corrinder seeds
i have only added some more spices. fennel was there before too.
Awesome tongue licking recipe. All your recipes are so perfect. Made the Chole with Instant Bhatura from your site as well !!
Thanks Dhana. Glad to know that you liked the chole masala recipe. Combo of chole with bhatura is too good !!!
Hi, Can I double this recipe as is?
Dipti, its little tricky. you have to use method of andaaz or approximation while adding spices.
Hello Dassana.
I’ve tried this and several other recipes shared by you. They’ve all turned out to be very delicious. I am especially grateful for your Udipi sambhar recipe. I couldn’t find it anywhere else even after searching so much.
I really appreciate the way you share every step in so much detail, publishing as many photos as possible. I also like the options you give for healthier versions of all recipes.
Thanks a lot 🙂
Welcome Jyotika. Glad to know that you like the recipes and its presentation style. Thanks for this motivating feedback.
i made this chhole recipe and it turned out great! I did not have tea bags, neither amla, hence i used a combination of some tamarind, kokum (amsul) and amchur powder! Smacznego!!!!
Thanks Deepashri for sharing your positive feedback on chole recipe.
great
Your recipe was a big success. Thanks so much for sharing it. I made a half tray of chhole for a potluck party last night and I had NEVER made this dish previously. The step by step directions were a big help. The taste was phenomenal. Any reason to avoid amchur to increase tartness after using anardana?
thanks a lot niranjan. glad to know. anardana is also sour and so is amchur. if both are used together, the sourness is felt distinctly and strongly in the recipe. thats why its better to use one of them.
awesome recipe…came out really well…. 🙂 the sour taste given by amchur powder and lemon was extraordinary
thank you sanjai for the positive review on chole masala. both amchur powder and lemon juice gives a nice tangy taste.
Hi Madam , can we increase daniya seed like 2 or 3 spoon for the masala . Will it alter the taste .can you clarify. Thank you. Rathy.
yes it will change the taste. if you want you can increase dhania seeds.
Hi Dassana,
I have really struggled with this dish. So I’ll share my learnings. The first time I tried it was about a year back and I used canned chick peas. The problem was that I used only 1 can but otherwise followed your recipe to its bitter conclusion. The dish was stronger tasting than a day out with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Determined to crack the case I tried again after a few months but instead used 2 cans of chick peas…the result was much better. It was more like a day out with Cindy Crawford but still not a 100%..these days Katy Perrry is required.
I can now happily report that Katy has visited. The modification I made was to use only 1/4 teaspoon of sauf instead of the recommended 1 teaspoon. It’s probably a matter of personal taste but Katy is a lot more fun.
Best regards as always, Rohit.
after a long time rohit, seeing your comment. as always you do have a great sense of humor. i do not know how many grams of chickpeas are there in 1 can. but i presume the quantity of masala became too much for the amount of canned chickpeas. like you say saunf is a matter of personal taste. i know of folks who add very less saunf in any recipe as they feel its taste is too dominating.
One can of chick peas is 400g, drained weight being 240g. I think dried peas one cup is ok but if tinned then 2 cans are needed.
thanks for the info rohit. could be 2 cans are required. one cup of dried chickpeas is about 200 grams. after cooking, they increase to 3 to 3.5 cups. though i have never measured the weight of cooked chickpeas.
hi dasana I got these anardana goli can I use that
don’t use anardana goli. its usually sweet. plus there are some more spices in it apart from anardana. just skip anardana. instead you can add lemon juice toward the end or amchur powder.
What can be done if Chole turned too sour?
just add some mashed potatoes. the potatoes will absorb the sourness and balance the flavors in the gravy. moreover they will also thicken the gravy. another alternative is to take some chickpeas from the gravy and grind or blend them with little water to a smooth paste. 1/4 cup of chickpeas will be fine. then add this to the gravy and simmer.
Hi
Chole nd bhature both were awsome, super , lipsmacking .
Thanx for d recipe nd God bless u.
thanks for your kind wishes jaya and also thanks for the feedback on both chole and bhature recipes.
Never do your recipes ever fail to be super easy to follow and turn out wonderful. Be it Bhindi rice, surati dal, mushroom curry, baingan bharta just to name a few. Thank you so much for making cooking fun ..
pleased to know this sheetal, thank you for your positive and encouraging feedback. you are welcome.
Nice recipes
thanks dolly for positive feedback.
Hello,
what do you think about MDH Chana masala mix?
I cannot get all the spices for this recepies in my local
store.
Will it go well when I use ready to use blends?
Regards
i have not used mdh chana masala mix. but any chana masala powder will work in this recipe.
Wow!!
It was awesome… They are just delicious..
thank you akankshya for your positive feedback 🙂
Hey I always look for your blog when I want to cook something new. I have tried so many of your dishes and they are always so properly explained and taste awesome. Tried this too and for a minute I thought that I have ordered this from a restaurant. That’s how amazing it turned put to be. Thanks for sharing such amazing recipes with us 🙂
thanks anjali. lovely feedback from you and glad 🙂
I like ur recipes , thanku very much , i would like to make same way punjabi chhole lets c once again thanku keep it up.
surely try jai thank you and you are welcome. do let us know how the punjabi chole was?
Nice recipe shared….i cooked it the way u wrote…awesome…loved it….
thanks for the feedback on the recipe. glad to know you liked it.
I liked this recipe very much….the tips were awesome. ..to boil the chhole with tea bags…i loved it….
thanks you poli 🙂
it really hlp. AWeSoM
thankyou ritu 🙂
These turned out to be yummiest as expected. My sis told me that I religiously follow ur website to which I replied YES! Thanks a bunch 🙂
A small request – plz post a recipe for green moong dal bhajiyas. Thanks 🙂
thanks a lot zehra for your sweet comment as well as the feedback on the chana masala recipe. i have posted of yellow moong dal bhajiya. here is the link – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/moong-dal-bhajiya-pakora-recipe/
i will add green moong dal bhajiya or pakoda recipe also.
Ur recipes r always awesome and it turns out delicious again to mention dat ur a born genius cook I follow ur recipes for everything I want to try even I tried your bhindi fry nd masala recipe it was finger licking good ur recipes never fail and it’s easy to understand your step wise photos with illustrations atlast chole recipe is one of my favorite
thankyou so much komal 🙂 your compliment means a lot to us.
Hi …i started cooking recently and am setting up my kitchen. Could you please let me know which mixer is best in the market to buy for a small family ??
Also which material is best for cooking ?? Non stick, ceramic or any other? ? I heard non stick is not safe so a little doubtful what to buy for my kitchen.
Thanks
Pradeepti
i use preethi mixer grinder (blue leaf) and it is good for a family of 3 to 4. best is to use steel. even iron, brass and copper is good, but additional care needs to be taken. you can also buy clay or earthen pots. they are also good. non stick has to be used carefully. use it only for low to medium flame cooking. high flame removes the non stick coating. also do not use sharp spoons on non stick pans. use wooden or silicon spatulas or spoons.
Made samosa n chole today, they were the best, thanks for the wonderful recipes : )
thankyou vibha 🙂
1 cup kabuli chana in grams plsssss………..
arja, its 200 grams. will update in the post too.
This particular recipe rocks!!
Wish u could add some non-veg recipes too.
thanks a lot SK.
Thank you for this tasty recipe! I am beginning to learn how to cook Indian foods and the clear details & pictures are EXTREMELY helpful!
pleased to know this isabel thankyou so much for your kind and encouraging words glad our blog could help you 🙂
I wrote a post that appears to have disappeared …. I tried your excellent recipe, but I was plumb out of Kabuli chana, (chick peas), so I used Cowpeas, / Red Chori / Vigna unguiculata – Wikipedia … instead. It has a little firmness, (bite) even after 12 minutes in the presuure cooker, but we liked it. We used some potato flakes to thicken up the gravy. By the way, Cowpeas are recognized by the UN Food and Argi. org (FAO) as the most protien rich bean in the world. No kidding.
To Hope (-ful ?) the American, who posted below ….. until Ms. Dasana can get around to writing her ‘paper’ cook book ….. isn’t it a miracle, that we can still use her ‘virtual’ cook book ? :->)
Continued good wishes and Joy and happiness.
i just replied to your earlier comment, gary ji. even i use cowpeas for making usal and sometimes make it in the punjabi way. paper cook book is a big task. i touted with the idea a few years ago and gave up. there are too many things involved. but as i mentioned in my previous comment, i will be making an ebook. i so much agree on the “virtual cook book” part. thanks for that 🙂
Dasanaji, ….. Regarding, writing a ‘paper’ cook book, ….. before you go through the motions and procedures of writing a paper cook book, …. maybe you could easily write an E-book with all your ….. or most of your virtual recipes, with a select amount of the photographs, and make a quantum leap forward.
I understand your husband is in the IT business, so the file making and the systems analysis and E-book making can be done in a jiffy.
Just a thought – that I thought could be of help.
gary ji, we are looking into writing an ebook. so will publish the ebook in some months. thanks for the suggestion. my husband’s IT knowleldge does help at times 🙂
This is an excellent recipe! Just what I have been looking for!
Esp good served with a little bit of tamarind sauce and chopped onions on top.
Might I ask–I’m an American with a love of Indian food, but I have yet to find a good English language cookbook to use. They skip any of the ingredients that take a little effort to find here, and use tiny amounts of spices, don’t roast or fry them, etc. Do you have any suggestions for a good cookbook? …Maybe you will publish one?!
thanks hope. most american based indian authors’ cookbooks have these tweakings. thats why i never buy any american indian author cookbooks. i would suggest jiggs kalra’s books. they recipes are good and you can easily scale them down to serving of 3 to 4. hopefully lets see if i can publish a cook book 🙂
While I waiting for your cookbook, I will pursue your suggestion! Thank you!
surely hope thankyou for your good wishes and you are always welcome 🙂
Nisha Ji whenever I follow your recepie the food goes just awesome… I tried this chole recepie and it was awesome..
pleased to know this thankyou shobhna 🙂 for your positive words.
this is exactly how my mom makes it.
glad to know this thankyou selene 🙂
Thank u sooo much mam ….u know mam i lost my mother ànd i dont know how to cook food u helped me a lot
sorry to know about your mother zahiba have no words to express but glad to know our food blog could help you in cooking food 🙂 take care and god bless you.
Nice recipe if u want to cook for 45 people what shall. E quantity needed.
difficult to tell superna. when cooking for many servings, the ingredients have to be used in approximation or added through the method of andaaz.
This is a great recipe, I keep coming back to it. I cook my onion/tomato for about 30-40 minutes stirring very often. This is how the ladies in India taught me! I love this recipe. Brings back some wonderful memories for me!!
thanks kim. if you use a huge amount of onion and tomatoes, then you will have to saute for 30 to 40 minutes. for a serving of 4 to 5, one does not need to saute for so long. hope this helps.
6th Oct 2015: The Chole recipe turned out to be tasty. My family enjoyed having….Thanks for sharing the recipe !
welcome doilyn and thankyou 🙂
Can I add tomato paste instead of chopped tomatoes
you can add tomato paste, but the amount has to be less, as the paste is more concentrated. try adding 2 tbsp of it first and then as per your taste, you can add 1 or 2 tbsp more.
mouthwatering…………
thankyou 🙂
hi, I AM A BIG BIG FAN OF YOUR COOKING…..
I AM A CHHUPARUSTAM VISITOR OF UR SITE…
I AM FROM A SMALL CITY OF JHARKHAND.
I TRIED UR CHHOLE MANY TIMES &IT TURNED SUPER DUPER TASTY……
EVERYONE JUST LICKED THEIR FINGERS.
I AM IN FAST (UPWAS) FOR NAWRATRA.
I EAT ONLY FRUITS DURING THESE DAYS WITHOUT ANY ROCKSALT.
SO TOMORROW IT WILL BE OVER.
THEN I WILL MAKE CHHOLE AGAIN.
THE MOST THING THAT I LIKE IS U REPLY EVERY ONE.
& U LOOK ALSO SO SIMPLE CUTE & BEAUTYFUL.
THANKU MAM…..
THANKU SO MUCH FOR SUCH A NICE WEBSITE……
shona a big thankyou for your kind and encouraging words 🙂 surely try more recipes and let us know how they were ? god bless you and you are welcome.
Hi, i recently moved to another country and don’t have a mixie or the blender. Loved your recipe. Can you please let me know how could I alter the recipe to prepare without have to grind the ingredients for masala.
if you have a mortar-pestle, then use that to make the masala. but a lot of handwork will be required. and if you do not have mortar-pestle, then forget the masala. when you heat oil, add the following spices before you add the ginger-garlic paste. saute the spices till you get a fragrant aroma. then add the ginger-garlic paste. the spices are 1 black cardamoms/elaichi, 1 inch cinnamon/dalchini, 2 to 3 cloves/lavang and 1 medium indian bay leaf/tej patta or 2 small tej patta. another alternative is to add these spices while cooking the chana. then you don’t need to add them in the tempering. now when you add the red chili powder, that time add 1/2 to 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp dry mango powder or dry pomegranate powder and 1 tsp garam masala powder or chole masala powder. you can increase the red chili powder and garam masala powder to suit your taste buds.
Beautiful! Thanks so much. I have a mortar and pestle. Will try both ways and see which is better. I love your recipes and the details in it. The rajma I made from your recipe list turned up excellent. Thanks once again.
pleased to know this thankyou so much vidhya 🙂 and you are welcome.
Hi, I am a big followers of all your recipes. Whenever I have to try something new. I just browse it here. Amazing recipes. Lots of success to you.
thankyou so much Neha for your kind words. wish you all the success to you as well 🙂
me too! Use your recipes for everything i cook! You’re the best
thankyou roshani 🙂
Hello,
The above mentioned recipe is for how many portions?.
I’m planning to cook this curry for 20 people.
the recipe has 4 to 5 servings. if making for 20 people the proportions will change and you will have to add the ingredients by approximation or andaaz. indian curries and gravy dishes do not work well when the ingredients are increased or decreased proportionately.
Great post
Hi Amit,
Thank you for the hard work you have put into presenting this recipe so beautifully. I live in the
UK and miss out on lot Delhi food where I am from.
I am going to give it a try today.
Ashish
thankyou ashish do try surely can understand how it is to be far away from our motherland. but keep cooking indian food atleast you could enjoy that part and you are welcome 🙂
Hello Ma’m
Can we make this using black chana ?
roshini, yes you can.
I am very much fond of cooking and find your recepies easy to follow. Your instructions are very specific and almost always give good results. Thanks for your efforts.
Welcome PRASANNA. Glad to know that you found the recipes presentation good.
Hi,
Last night my mother in law suddenly asked me to make chole for lunch. With no ready made chole masale to the rescue I turned to your webpage for help and I surly wasn’t disappointed.
Am really glad that I didn’t have the pakaged masala or else I wouldn’t have known how easy it was to make the chole masala. Thank you for the pictures which you include as it helps me in judging the quantity of the ingredients.
By the way, the chole were perfect. Just had them for lunch 😉
welcome sonal. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
It’s like a mother guiding us how to cook delicious food…thnxx a zillion!!
tryng out ur recipes very often…n it turns out to b awsum evrytym!! my dad n bro luvs d dishes dat i cook..n m nw d “master chef” of my home…!!
nothng wud ve been possible without u…ur a true inspiration…tnxx again!!<3<3
welcome aa5nghamitra. glad to know this. thanks for sharing this sweet feedback.
It’s like a mother guiding us how to cook delicious food…thnxx a zillion!!
tryng out ur recipes very often…n it turns out to b awsum evrytym!! my dad n bro luvs d dishes dat i cook..n m nw d “master chef” of my home…!!
nothng wud ve been possible without u…ur a true inspiration…tnxx again!!<3
thats good to know that you are the masterchef of your home. great 🙂 all the best for your future and thanks a lot for these genuine and kind words.
Dear Dassana, I have tried many of ur recipes all turned out awesome… Thanks for posting good recipes. You are doing a great job
welcome tasneem. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Today I prepared this chole and it was awesome… Every one in the falimy liked specially my 4 yrs old daughter she liked it very much..thanku for the recipe….
welcome neelima. glad to know this.
Can it be possible to prepare the chana masala one day before cooking
kavita, yes you can prepare chana masala for chole one day before.
If few chickpeas mashed after that simmer on low flame oil on the garavy vaished
What will i do for make oily gravy
add more oil 🙂
Made the choley tonight to be served at brunch tomorrow and they turned out super amazing!!!!!! I can’t stop tasting them….hope there will be some leftover for my guests tomorrow .
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Next one is the mushroom tikka masala….can’t wait!
welcome shetal. glad to know this. thanks for sharing this awesome feedback.
Hi Dassana! I have been following your recipe since an year, and I noticed today that you have changed the chole masala spices and their ratio. what will be the effect of that on the taste? is it more spicy or subtle combination?
thanks rajshree. since i made this recipe many times, i experimented with the spices. finally came up with this version. which is more flavorful. its not spicy.
It seems delicious…but i want to know does that taste like we eat in restaurant?, i love delhi chole bhature i always wonder what they put it taste so delicious I want to make it taste like same in restaurant.please help?
priyanka, you will have to try. but it taste very good. make it more spicy if you want.
Outstanding!! Thank you ever so much for this recipe. I am now so eager to try ssome of your other recipes. Thanks Dasana , God bless 🙂
welcome sharon. thanks for sharing your positive feedback and for your prayers.
Thanks dasana for this mouth watering recipe its really good I tried it thanx
welcome purity
dear dassana,
why i addressed u dear is because thats the way i feel about u as i am so much fond of ur recipes!! thank u so much !! i have tried many of your recipes and they turned out to be so delicious!! keep posting new recipes!!kudos to your good work!
thats sweet of you shilpa. thanks for this sweet as well as positive feedback. i will keep on adding more recipes.
Hi dasssna,
You know ur just amazing..i made this chole for first tym yestrdy and i got amazing response from my offc frnds..they loved it.i follow ur website most of the tyms for receipes..do keep posting such amazing receipes.
thanks remya for sharing positive feedback and for your kind words. glad to know that you and your friends liked the chole recipe.
Thanks Dassana for this wonderful recipe. I have tried so many variations but not so yummy. I just tried it today and tasted and it has turned out too good. Waiting for my husband’s and my kids reaction.will let you updated.
thanks for the feedback padmaja. hope your family likes the chole masala.
Hi Dassana,
I had given up on ever cooking good chana masala till I found your recipe today. My husband ABSOLUTELY loved it! Thanks heaps for the recipe and for all your other recipes! can’t wait to try the mango shrikhand tomorrow.
welcome kris. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Hi dassana
Tried this recipe, it came out very well.. My husband loveed it. Thanks for the recipe.
welcome aruna. glad to know this.
hi ,
for 1 cup cooked chickpeas how much teaspoon of masala required? i want to prepare masala and keep it for next use also. please help.
thanks
this recipe gives about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas. i think the ground masala was around 1.5 to 2 tbsp. so for 1 cup of cooked chickpeas you can add 1 to 1.5 tsp of the ground chana masala.
This is a awesome recipie… First time my husband said wow, immediately after taking first byte… Thanku soo muxh for this wow moment. I m recently married and u know how nyc it feels…. Thank u soo soo much..
welcome hetal. thanks for sharing this wow feedback. i can understand and relate with you. do try some more recipes.
Hello Dassana,
Greetings from London. I cannot compliment your site enough! This weekend we had friends over for dinner. I made your punjabi chole and a few other recipes from your blog. My friends didn’t believe I made it. They were sure the food had been ordered in from one of the top Indian restaurants in London and even checked the dustbin for evidence of take away bags and papers! Thank-you so much for sharing these lovely recipes. Wishing you and your family a prosperous new year! Looking forward to trying more of your wonderful food.
welcome jacques. forget about the guest, even i can’t believe this. that means you have cooked the food with lot of love and care. credit goes to you also. wishing you a happy new year.
I tried this recipe today and whole house is aromatic. I had assumed preparing chole is herculean task your recipe dispelled my assumption. Thank you
welcome vimarsha. good to know your experience.
Too good excellent
thanks riym
I’m a single veg man in the USA & I was well used to Taco Bells, Burger Kings, Pizza Huts, & the assorted expensive Indian restaurants. Food was only for sustenance & not for pleasure, something necessary & something that consumed time.
Then I came across your website & started experimenting.
Now, about a year later, I am an acknowledged ‘Great ‘ Cook. My neighbors comment favorably on the different aromas that emanate from my house & self-invite themselves often. My parents visited from India & were pleasantly surprised at my sea change of attitude towards food. The few relatives I have around look forward to my increasingly frequent visits, as I always make & take something ( I’m now addicted to the praise that the follows & it’s no fun anymore if there’s no one to appreciate your work & success).
I totally attribute my ‘cheffiness, my unexpected popularity, my blossoming passion, & my bloating weight to you. Thank you so much.
Along with a few friends, I’m now part owner of a veg Indian restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area. We still use your recipes & the chefs know you by name. We do reasonably well for a new entrant into an already overcrowded field. And we have plans for the future.
I understand you are from Andheri(w). Me too. There’s Shoppers Stop today where I used to live an age ago. And also Radhakrishna restaurant, Oasis….. The Iranis at the station are now McDonalds.
I hope I run into you someday, I would like to meet my inspiration. Thanks again.
thanks ranjit for this long but encouraging and motivating feedback. your comment is one of those which inspires and motivates. its a good to know that the recipes are making a positive difference in readers’ cooking and eating habits. its a good step you took to learn cooking and start your own restaurant. usually fast food is not healthy and cannot be eaten every day. we also have lived like this and in long term it gives health problem. we wish you all the best for your restaurant’s future. i hope after having food at your restaurant, people remember authentic indian food which is cooked in their homes.
The more authentic way to blacken the Chole is this:
1. Take a muslin cloth. Put in 2 Tsp of regular Tea, 1 Tsp of Amchur powder and 1 piece of Khajur in this cloth.
2. Tie the knots tightly and put it in the pressure cooker when cooking Chole.
3. Remove after cooking.
Tip: If yo add whole garam masala (Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves) in the Chole while cooking in pressure cooker, it will infuse additional flavors.
thanks for the suggestions. have never heard of khajur/dates. i know about the whole garam masala part when cooking chana.
I am big fan of your recipes bcz the way u present is very beautiful and simple to understand. My mom is great a cook and we are Punjabi and your recipes are somehow similar to my mom recipes. I love your chite chole ke recipe one query I have that instead of chopped onion and tomato we can grate them also? Or recipe require chopped one only??? Kindly advise
thanks divya. most punjabi homes have more or less the same recipes. for the chole, you can grate also the onions and tomatoes. i choose to chop them as its faster to do so than grating. you can even puree or make a paste of them.
I follow your recipes, they turn out great. Step by step photos help to know how the end product should look. I stopped to look at any other sites for recipes.
thanks lata for this positive feedback on recipes.
I am a regular follower of your recipes…they are just yummm… Thanks a lot for sharing your pearls of culinary art.i I just had to ask one thing: Can I make the masala in bulk say for using 2-3 times in say 3-4 weeks. I am a working lady so to save time can I prepare and store in bulk..if yes, does it need to be refridgerated. Also please give the proportion of spices and the way to do it.
you can make the dry chole masala powder in bulk. just increase the quantities proportionately.
Thanks for your feedback. Just one more thing: does this mix have to be refridgerated or can be kept at room temperature. Awaiting reply.
you can keep the chole masala at room temperature, since its a dry preparation. the roasting of the spices ensure that the masala has a longer shelf life.
Omg,perfect punjabi chole.i was searching out for this recipe since so long.finally…I’m thinking y I haven’t tried it earlier.
Anyways,thnx dassana.awesome recipe.u reminded me taste of “Bengali market ” k chole..thnku again..
welcome vibha
Good
Made this recipe today with garlic naan (also from your site). It was so yummy! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. Also a note on the pomegranate seeds, I had some pomegranate molasses and added them instead of the seeds or the amchur and it worked very well.
thanks supriya. good to know that the pomegranate molasses worked in the recipe. i have never used it since we don’t get it here.
Thanks for the recipy. Please mention the name of the spices and the quantity required to make chole masala.
the recipe details are mentioned right at the bottom where the step by step pics end.
Your recipes always turn out great. I followed this one exactly as you have posted ( left out amchur and lime juice since I didn’t have either)…. turned out great! Thank you
welcome neha.
Thanks for the detailed recipes. With the pics we’ll get the exact look of the dishes. Thanks a lot. I want to know what is seedlac. I saw it somewhere else. Thank you.
welcome sheeba. seedlac? i also don’t know what it is.
I like the way chole has been made…..this is the favt.dish of my kidz…now no need to go to sindhi…to relish channa bhatura…..i will make it at home…..thanx
welcome jaswinder. glad to know that you liked the chole recipe.
Hello,this is first time that i am posting a comment on any blog.I just couldn’t resisit myself your recipes are awesome 🙂 .The way it’s described and photos of each step is marvellous.
Already planning to try so many of the recipes and your site is totally ADDICTIVE:-) totally passioante about cooking and your recipes helps me to do something about it and you make even the most trickiest recipes seem so easy.
Love it to the core 🙂
tons n tons of love and thanks
thanks ruchi. great to hear from you. we love feedback and queries from readers. so feel free to comment and share your opinion and tips.
Hi,
I dunno wat to say abt ur site. Cos anything said will not give enough justice. I love ur blogs. I always look for the recipes u made nd try nd it always turns out gr8.
I have so much to tell. Guess the comment box ll fill up. 🙂
I love ve the way u actually reply to all ur comments. this is the first time I’m commenting on any blog. I feel u r like my sister. Cos cooking is something I love nd I feel connected to u.
Love loads. May God bless nd keep u happy always.
mallika, your loving comment has touched my heart. i don’t know what to say. a common passion or hobby between individuals always connects. hugs and i pray that you live in light, love and abundance always.
Hi,
I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out really nice. I am becoming a fan of your blog. I also like your step by step pictures. as it is easy to follow. Can you please make a recipe of petha- north Indian sweet and micro wave oven recipes because I work and when I get back home, I want to be able to cook quickly in micro wave. Thank you.
thanks. petha is a time consuming recipe. thats why i have not yet made it. it also requires some ingredient which i don’t think i will get here. plan to add microwave recipes.
Hi Dassana,
Made this yesterday and it turned out awesome. Thanks for sharing all your lovely recipes.
Ingrid
welcome ingrid
Dasannaji….
Chole recipe to bohot hi acchi he padhkar hi muh me paani a gaya …
Ill also try this recipe. ..
Thanks. …
welcome saba
Awesome!!!
I am so glad I found your website! As a vegetarian I often find it hard to find new recipes, but now I have many new ones to try – thank you! I’m trying this one this week 🙂
welcome emma. glad to know that you liked the website.
Tried the dish today and it was absolutely delicious. I dislike the chole my cook prepares, I tried Your recipe and it was a HIT! It was even better than the ones I’ve had from restaurants. Thanks for the yummy recipe. Keep blogging for people like me who love good food 🙂
thanks veena for this positive feedback. glad to know that you liked the chole recipe.
Its awesome….. Thanks….for helping us…
welcome sneha
Hi dassana , I made this recipe the other day, and it was awesome, never again buying ready made chole masala powder.. Thank u for a simple yet mouthwatering recipe
welcome freda. glad to know that you liked the chole recipe.
Very nice and quite easy too
thanks reju
This recipe turned out really well – thank you! One quick question when you say blend the onion tomato mixture with the chole spice powder, do you mean using a blender making it a paste?
thanks gaya. by blend what i meant was mixing the masala with the onion tomato in the kadai or pan. i didn’t mean blend in a mixer or grinder.
Hi…. Whenever I’m getting confused about any ingredient while cooking I am taking help from your website …. N its too gud especially for girls like me who never cooked any thing n after marriage you have to cook every day. Well today I’m gonna try chole first time with ur help… 🙂 thank you….
welcome ruchi for your positive feedback. if you have any query then you are always welcome to write a comment.
This recipe did not turn out well for me. There wasn’t enough oomph, and it was quite bland. I used ALL the ingredients. I thought my mistake bay have happened when you said add 1 1/2 cup of chickpeas. Is that 1 1/2 dried chickpeas or 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas. I used 1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked, and cooked them which yielded around 4 1/4 cup wet chickpeas. Thanks
the recipe is a bit spicy. i am not sure what went wrong. but so many readers cannot be wrong. its dried chickpeas and not canned chickpeas. its mentioned in the steps to soak the chickpeas. so obviously its dried chickpeas that need soaking.
Hi dassana
First I want thank you for the wonderful recipes on this site.
Very neat & beautiful presentation.
I tried chole recipe and it turned out really awesome.my hubby who likes only restaurant chole. after eating this one he said no need to go to restaurant.this chole is more tasty than restaurant one.
welcome sush. nice to read your feedback. its good to know that you can enjoy the delicious chole at home. enjoy the meals.
Is one and half cup peas equal to 250 grams and what shall I do to make gravy more thicker
1 cup of dried chickpeas is about 180 gms. so 1.5 cups would be about 270 gms. this recipe gives a good smooth gravy. for a thicker gravy, you can make onion paste and tomato puree. i have chopped them. but you make separate pastes of them. saute the onion paste till it becomes golden and then follow the recipe. if you mash some chickpeas while cooking, this also helps in thickening of the gravy. some people also add boiled mashed potatoes. the starch in the potatoes help in thickening of the gravy. in chole recipes we never add cream, cashew paste or yogurt as thickening agents.
Just made it for breakfast today. it turned out great. Didnt have fennel seeds but it still has amazing flavours!!!! Thank you
welcome sony.
Hello aunty,
I just love your reciepe, I am student use to cook food myself whenever i make anything of your reciepe it turns too good my frnds and roomates use to love it they have given me the title of good cook but its all because of you
Love
Prici
welcome prici. glad to know your new title. keep trying and learning more recipes.
Hi Dassana,
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
I need your help with a quick question.
I need to make this recipe for 10 people , can you please advise if I should just double the recipe/ingredients . Would that work ? your inputs will be much appreciated. Thanks
welcome neelam. usually doubling or tripling the ingredients does not work. but for 10 people you can try. be little careful when you add amchur and garam masala. add them as per the taste in the very end.
I cook rarely. But tried this recipe. Result was too good. Thanks 🙂
welcome bhawna
Dear,
I want to try this at home today, but I do not have Amchur powder or bayleaf. Is it okay to prepare without them?
krithi, add some lemon juice towards the end to replace amchur powder… or you can also use dry pomegranate seeds/anardana and powder them instead of using amchur. skip tej patta, if you don’t have.
This dish turned out very good…got compliments from family and friends. Could you possibly suggest a replacement for amchur powder? I did not have any…nevertheless, dish turned out awesome.
I also made kadai paneer and tadka daal…loved both.
Thanks!
shruthi, you can use lemon juice (in the end) or dry pomegranate seeds/anardana (powder them and add it while sauting the masala) as replacement for amchur. the chole should have a tang.
Hi Dassana,
I made a scaled-down version of this recipe for 2 people and it has turned out finger-licking good! I didn’t have amchur so I added Everest chole masala because it has quite a bit of amchur in it. I omitted garam masala and fennel because I didn’t have it. But still it’s sooo good 🙂
5 stars for your awesome recipe!
thanks preeti. chole masala has amchur in it. no need to add garam masala if you are using chole masala.
The chole turned amazing It was a finger licking Sunday at my home Pity I coked a small quantity since I was trying out for the first time Thanks for the recipe
welcome kailesh. glad to know that you liked the chole masala.
ma’am my mother tried and it tastes very good!! 😀
thanks tanisha
Great recipe! Tried it today . Turned out perfect. Thanks a lot!!
welcome priyanka
Dasanna,
You are a blessed person and so we all, who are reading your blog. My new addiction is to read your receipes and more than that read the way people are writing so many praise worthy words for you. I can not stop reading them.I am learning lot of cooking now. and I tell all my friends to go on your site for any receipes and I tell them that once they start cooking from your receipes, that is the ultimate destination. I am just pressure cooking my choles. I will post the results by evening. My husband and daughter went to Chinmaya Mission this morning, while I stayed back to make choles for lunch
thanks a lot sandy for your kind words. i am humbled. sure do let me know how the chole was 🙂
Dear Dasanna
My daughter said “Aai, Awsome Chole” and her next question was “is the receipe from Dasanna Auntie?”
thanks sandy. do give a hug to your sweet daughter from my side.
Hi Dassana,
First, thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes. I feel like we are friends. It is beautifully presented and honestly, flawless.
I have made the homemade paneer, butter paneer, and now just tried the punjabi chole. I have been making chole for years, and this is the first time it has tasted “right”. I feel so liberated to be making great punjabi food at home and not have to go to the restaurant. Whoo hoo!
I do have a question: Regarding ginger, what amount is one inch? Do you have tips for grating ginger/garlic into paste?
Thank you again. (Behind me is simmering rajmah masala, can’t wait to try it)
thanks manjari for your genuine positive feedback. cooking punjabi food at home is quite great if you get a few nuances right. sometimes i feel i make better punjabi food at home rather than the oily, cream and color loaded stuff they serve in restaurants. there are a lot of punjabi recipes on the blog. you can try them too.
for ginger, i just scale it to one inch visually for medium sized ginger. since i know how much is one inch, i can scale it easily visually. if the ginger is large, then i just take 1/2 or even 1/4th inch of it. basically using the andaz or approximation while cooking. i prefer to use fresh ginger-garlic paste. so what i do is i chop them roughly. then using a mortar-pestle i grind the. they paste does not have to be very fine. just a semi fine paste will also do. hope the rajma masala was good too.
Umm…the image is looking so good…. Insha allah let me try dis…..
I’m very interested in how/why you modified the MTP recipe. I noticed some similarities in your recipes, e.g. no garlic. I also noticed some interesting differences. You balanced coriander and cumin more 50/50, and you ‘replaced?’ an ardana with amchur. Also, you didn’t use tejpatta, but added fennel. I’m just curious how you reached your final recipe.
I will make this recipe soon and post my results. My benchmark is a local Indian street food place which makes insanely good Chhole Bhature. Better than I had in Bangalore!
most of the times i adapt recipe, i always end up changing or altering the original. half-half of cumin and coriander would balance the taste and thats why i added half-half. i have used tej patta/bay leaf in the ground chole masala. i have added fennel as i have tasted chole before with fennel and its gives a very good flavor and taste. i did not have anardana so substituted with amchur powder. do try making this chole recipe.
This is the best channa masala I have ever had, and a new family favourite in our house. Many of your recipes are turning out to be that way. Thank you so much for putting all the time into this blog.
Here in Vancouver, I use a half-and-half mixture of shallot and red onion to approximate the flavour of the onions I had in southern India–it makes a substantial difference. I substituted chipotle chile powder for straight chili powder to complement and add to the smokiness of the black cardamom, and added a little garlic with the ginger to create a base for the chipotle. Finally, I added a sprinkle of green, red, and yellow bell peppers at the end for a little contrasting colour and crunch.
thanks a lot. in fact in india, we don’t get many varieties of onions as abroad. just a few varieties. it will make a difference on the kind of onions used. the bell peppers would have added a lot of color and crunch. thats nice.
My mouth is watering looking at all of those flavorful and rich spices! What a wonderful dish Nisa! Nice to meet you Dassana! Headed to surf around your blog.
hi! I have a recipe for chana masala which works great to serve five people and I want to scale it up to serve 50 people. I did a test run last night and it did not taste good! Would you be able to take a look at the recipe and let me know what I am doing wrong?
Thanks, Michael.
you can send the recipe to me at vegrecipesofindia(AT)gmail(DOT)com.
Hi !
I want to make an onion and tomato paste coz I dun like to see the pieces in cooked food … What can I do ? Should I first use a mixer and then cool the paste ? How much time should I cook this paste ? I look forward to your help
just grind the chopped onions and tomatoes in the mixer or blender first. no need to add water while blending. then when the oil becomes hot, add the onion-tomato paste and saute till the color changes and the mixture starts to leave oil from the sides. then proceed with the next of the recipe.
Dear my love I like to say, tell me your address so I could come there personally and give you a big hug. I have started a new business of lunch box service since 3days from today, it is your recipe I trust and it is making my business go viral and every dish I make with the influence of your recipe is giving loads of complements. Thank a lot a lot. . . Am 22, since 6months am cooking never entered kitchen before that but all credit to you and your recipes, my family love it. I do necessary changes as per taste. M loving it. And love you too take care and keep updating. .
Thanks Kavya for this lovely comment. i am glad that this blog is making your cooking easier and successful. your loving words have touched my heart, thanks. i wish you all the best in your business. keep visiting.
Thanks a lot, it was very yummy…., small amount of jaggery I added as per my daughters request and it was excellent
welcome nandini
Awesome!!!!!Thanx so much for the instant recipe.For the first time i could make it&the credit goes to u n u only
welcome arbeela. i have many chole masala recipes in the blog but this version of chole masala is the most popular one.
I prepared it yesterday and I must say its one of the best chana masala I’ve ever had!! Thanks for the recipe!!
welcome sowmya
hiii ur channa masala recipe is fantastic. i made it at home. its vry delicious. every body like this. thanks for sharing ur pricious recipe.
thanks and welcome meena.
I ve always used the packaged Chole masala but my packet got over and I had lot of guests last week. I tried this recipe keeping my fingers crossed. It came out soooo well, we were all licking the juice more than the Chole itself. Thank u!!
thanks aarthi.
Hi Dassana,
With an overly energetic 8 month old I dont have much time/ energy to prepare “kuch to special’ kind of dishes. Luckily your blog has those special dishes with ingredients easily available in our indian homes.
Today being Diwali, I thought of making Punjabi Chole (hubby loves) and phulka rather than taking an easy way out. My husband and I very happily sniffled our noses and wiped our teary eyes into blissful satisfaction 😉 we both love spicy food – I may have been a little liberal there. It turned out great !!!. I also added a bit of kasuri methi for a different angle on taste (my mom does that).
So my husband and kiddo are now happily dozing off and I am wondering what I shall cook tomorrow 🙂
There’s nothing more I can say but- ‘THANK YOU’!!!
Happy Diwali!!
Regards,
RG
PS yesterday I tried your insant rava dhokla – successfull there too..:)
thanks RG. i am too late too wish you a happy diwali. but i do wish you all the best and happy cooking.
Hi
Appreciate ur blog a lot.visit it on a daily basis.Have tried some other recipes and they were quite good.
I have few doubts in this chole recipe
1.How come the color of ur ground masala is so red?It contains only two red chillies. Mine was not that color
2.The taste of my chole was pretty bland.The color was also very dull.I was forced to add chole masala and amchur to compensate for the taste!!
What happened??
Kindly help!!
1: i have used kashmiri red chilies and hence the color of the masala is red.
2: i am not sure why the chole you made was bland. this masala gives a slightly spicy chole. did you follow the recipe to the T? did you use canned chickpeas? any changes or modifications you made in the masala… meaning not adding some spices etc.
Hi ijust want to know where to get fresh coconut ,sohe of your receipe says use fresh coconut.i love all your receipes .thanks
where do you live. mostly everywhere in india we get fresh ripe coconut.
Hi Dassana,
Wow landed on your page from Google search for a different or may be typical North Indian Chole recipe. And I am glad to tell you, I found it at last. Thanks much for sharing this awesome recipe. Chole is my favorite dish all the time!! A new fan and follower:)
Love,
Epsita
welcome epsita
I have never cooked Indian food before so I apologize for this question. I saw in a reply to a question you said that we could cook the chick peas in a deep pot instead of a pressure cooker. You mentioned make sure there is enough water and add salt. How much water do I need to add and how much salt?
you have to take enough water in the pot while cooking the chickpeas. it takes a lot of time though. for 1.5 to 2 cups of soaked & drained chickpeas, you can take about 5-6 cups of water. adding a pinch of baking soda in the water along with salt, also helps in the cooking process and the chickpeas become really soft when cooked. you can add about 1 tsp of salt. a little less salt is also alright. i usually add less salt. cover the pot and cook. if the water starts to become frothy, then remove the lid and cook for some minutes. remove the scum if there is any while cooking the chickpeas.
Tried your recipe which was really simple and easy to follow. Result was superb.
Thanks .
welcome usha
Hi Dassana,
I made the Chole today and it came out really well. I had 2 questions though
a) Can I put tomato puree rather than chopped tomatoes..I felt the gravy was not thick enough bcoz they were chopped and not a puree
b)While grinding the spices,should the skin of the black cardamon be taken out or should it be grinded with the skin?
hi vinay, thats nice to know.
a: if the tomatoes are juicy, then there is enough moisture in the dish. you can also make tomato puree and add it. the chole gravy will have a more smooth texture
b: the skin need not be taken out of the black cardamom. its ground with the skin.
Hi Dassana,
when we grind the spices,should I remove the skin of black cardamon and grind only the seeds inside it?
in this chole recipe, there is no need to remove the skin of the black cardamom.
i liked ur recipe alot its simple yet tasty but can v just add sum jaggery and lil tamarind pulp too in chole?
if you add tamarind, it will be called khaate chole. and jaggery will sweeten but may unbalance the dish completely. the taste and flavors may go awry.
Hi Dassana 🙂
I’m making this for my family tomorrow. I have 2 toddlers so I was thinking of omitting the green chilli, red chillies and chilli powder in case it turns out too spicy for the kids. Would that alter the taste too much?
Thanks 🙂
hi seema. the absence of any of the chilies, would make a difference in the taste. instead of green chilies and the dry red chilies, i would suggest you to add a little bit of red chili powder only for the taste and flavor. if there is no option howsoever, then just skip all three.
I have some boiled chana in the fridge….gonna try this and will let you know the feedback!! I think the dry roasting of the spices….gives it the authentic Punjabi taste…so good you thought of updating the picture….
nisa, i will wait for your feedback.
Hello
I liked your recipe & also tried many times. My family enjoyed it. But i garnished it with small pieces of cheese & instead of amchur powdar i used dry pomegranate powdar. Everyone relished it.
Thank you.
thanks saroj. you are right… dry pomegranate powdar also works.
dont we use garlic paste in this ?
sari, i have not used garlic paste in this chole recipe. but you can use it if you like.
Hi Dassana,
Thank you for the recipe, looks yummy! I’m wondering, can I use canned chick peas and skip the soaking overnight and the pressure cooker? I do not have a pressure cooker.
Thank You 🙂
yes, you can use canned chick peas and then saute them in the spices as mentioned in the recipe. happy cooking.
Thank u dassana ji
I tried this recipe
My whole family enjoy The channa
thanks aaseka.
Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Dassana,
Thank u for this recipe.It was the best chole recipe I have tried so far. Came out fragrant and tasty . I had one doubt. In the ingredients you mention half tsp garam masala powder but nowhere in the recipe I see the mention of adding it. So do we add the garam masala powder with the other dry powders? I missed using it when I made it yesterday,it tasted good even without it.
thanks ashwini. you can add the garam masala powder with the rest of the dry powders. but its not required, since we have already made the ground masala powder in this recipe. i shall update it in the recipe.
Hi Dassana. I’ve been long time wanting to make chole, but here’s no amchur around here. What can you suggest to substitute it? Mango chutney?
don’t add mango chutney. some lemon juice would do. if you can get dry pomegranate seeds, then these also can be used. dry roast and then crush the seeds in a mortar-pestle. then add to the chole.
I tried the recipe & it came out really well. my whole family enjoyed & lot of thanks to you.
thanks for the feedback madangi.
Thank you for this recipe. Like many I’ve tried several recipes (stopped using instant powders a long time ago) for this beloved dish but never found the right one. The one ingredient that was always missing was the black cardamom and this is THE spice that brings that lovely smoky flavor to the chole we all love. Absolutely wonderful recipe and with some minor tweaks (pinch of saunf and much less amchur) it has brought back memories of delicious meals shared with loved ones far away!
thanks aparna. the black cardamom in this recipe is that ingredient which contributes a lot.
what can we add instaed of amchur…
you can add dry pomegranate seeds powder (anardana powder) or lemon juice. the taste will be different though, but works well. add lemon juice toward the end.
Yummy recipe 🙂 I will give it a try. I use potatoes to thicken the gravy.
yup some folks do thicken the gravy with boiled potatoes.
Hello,
I have made both the masala powder and curry following your method and mind me it came Super 🙂
Thank U so Much 🙂
thanks Aps
yummy mii fav chole…. :*
I loved your recipes . The amazing pictures that explain the steps…….all other websites do have recipes but yours do reach to people in an original way as if i am standing in the kicthen and my mom is teaching me. Thanku so much . I can’t explain how authentic and original they are and you made my day !
thanks navneh for writing such a positive and motivating feedback. reading your comment made my day.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I would try the recipe tomorrow. Just one quick question. Is it possible that I do not boil Chole separately and cook them with the masala itself? My mom says boiling would take away the essence and aroma. Please reply. Thanks 🙂
you can cook the chole with the masala. first fry all the masala and then lastly add the soaked chana. saute for a few minutes. add water and then pressure cook the chana.
Dassana
when you talk of using the pressure cooker. How long is 5-6 whistles
I’m not familiar with this
Neil
approx 7-8 minutes. also depends on the size of the cooker and the quantity of ingredients added in the cooker.
After surfing the net for a good amount of time, came across this recipe for Chole.
Tried it and it was awesome. Thanks!
thanks seema
I tried this, followed all the steps but used MDH masala instead of your spice mix becuz I was a bit rushed and tired.
It was AWESOME. many thanks for sharing
thanks.
good to know about this recipe..and iam trying this now
……………………..
I tried this recipe yesterday and came out wonderful and has got excellent taste in it.
We both enjoyed having it and my husband asked me to make it often.i think after marriage this is the first tasty one i made.
About the taste i can’t express it in words & it was so lovely and perfect,feel like having it often.One thing is i didn’t get this much red color in outcome,what mistake i did?
Thanks for this lovely recipe Dassana chechi.
thats nice latha. the red color depends upon the type of red chilies used. eg if kashmiri red chilies are added, the dish will have more red color. so the red coloring when using red chilies often depends upon the variety of red chilies. the spice and heat also depends on that.
Hi dassana,
The recipe is awesome just one question when do we add the red chilly powder and the green chillies. I added it at the end along with amchur and garam masala. Hope that is correct
hi elle, they are added when the powdered spices are added. green chilies is alright to be added at the end, but better to add red chili powder when sauting the onion-tomatoes and spices. i will update the post as well.
Dassana — THANK YOU for posting the links to the aloo tikki burgers, and the Amritsari chhole. Great recipes. I’ll be making both of them soon.
welcome peter, do try both the recipes.
Hi, i travelled around India and ate alu tikki with chole pretty much every day! I wanted to make it back in England. Is this chole recipe the best one to serve with tikki? or should i be tweaking it at all? Thanks in advance.
hi michael. even when we lived in delhi, we would have aloo tikki with chole almost every week 🙂 this chole recipe is good for aloo tikki.
Thank you for sharing these with me, now I can make everything using just your website!
With the amritsari chole – it sounds delicious but to me the darker colour makes it look less appetising than the Punjabi version You say it takes on this colour from the addition of teabags. If i left these out would it be a different colour and would it effect the flavour much?
Thanks again, Michael.
hi michael. the darker color is due to the tea bags. you can omit adding the tea bags. sometimes even i don’t add them. the taste would be slight different as tea flavors to add to the recipe. but not that the flavors change completely. the chole would be still delicious without adding the tea bags. the color of the chickpeas would be its natural creamish color and the color of the curry will be less darker.
Hi Dassana,
I was wondering how can I cook the chickpeas in a regular pot? I do not have a pressure cooker.
you can cook the chickpeas in a pot. use a deep and large pot. just add enough water with salt and a pinch of baking soda. cover and cook the chickpeas. keep on checking in between. if the water become less, then add some hot water and continue to cook till the chickpeas become soft. you have to keep on boiling till the chickpeas get cooked. it will take a lot of time to cook chickpeas in a pot… approx 45 mins to 1 hour.
Hi, I made this for my family – who happen to adore Indian food- and they loved this recipe! Thanks so much, and I think that your website is fabulous!!
thanks kelly.
This is something I luv to do in my life.. cooking and serving food is my passion, and I do at home for my kids.. experimenting whatever little I know about cooking, I saw and learned from my mother. Good to see your website and looking forward to learn more and more
same here mohan. do browse the blog and do try some of the recipes. thanks.
Very nice and easy mene aaj banaye thy chole bot tasty bane thy thanks
Cut out fennel seeds n add dried pomegranate seeds….n add haf amout of mango powder….n c the taste…..straight from a real punjabi….
thanks for the suggestions ramneet
Basically U must remember the recipe for Cholle , Rajmah , And Mutton is the same
Thanks for the recipe! The chole turned out to be really great!
thanks seema for taking out the time to comment.
Hi
This recipe looks delicious. When do you add the 1/2 tsp garam masala? And is the gravy still on flame when you add the Mango Powder? Just wondering how long should I keep it on the flame after adding the mango powder.
the garam masala is added towards the end along with the amchur powder. after adding them you can simmer for 1-2 minutes more.
I tried it already. It turned out very delicious! Loved it!
chalo, thats good. i was late in replying to your comment.
I owe a big thanks to you! 🙂
welcome zohra
Thanx..chhole turned out sooooo goood!
welcome and nice to know.
I made this and linked it on my blog. Just amazing! First time making chole it turned out perfect! Can’t wait to try it again with rotis and amchur powder (haven’t found any in France yet).
thanks stephanie. will check your post in some time.
hii Dassana…
it’s such a nice work u had done for others…
today i am going to make this dish..
i will tell u tommorow about the dish..
thanksssss
thanks.
Hi,
I am planning to make this recipe for a group of 20 people. Your recipe serves 4-5, should i just multiply whatever quantity by 4, to cook for 20 people?
hi vini, you can just increase the quantity of the ingredients proportionately.
Hi Dassana,,,,!! New to ur blog and totally in luv with ur recipes……. Need to try all of dem 😀 Today i tried d chole recipe and i must say it is d best i’ve ever tried….a total keeper for sure,,,, Had tried a lot of chole recipes from other blogs but all of dem were huge disappointment for me…. 🙁 But wen i made chole using ur recipe….i was in total luv with it,,, 🙂 Thanx a lot dear,,, 🙂 Keep up the gud work…. God bless u …
thanks ramya for that wonderful feedback. keeps me motivated and gives me encouragement to share my love and passion for cooking as well as blogging.
Hello Dassana, Great Post and Great Recipe. I am gona to make it today for dinner. The way you mentioned will help me to prepare delicious dinner.
thanks rajan. i hope the chole turns out great 🙂
Hi Dassana, First time visiting your blog, great blog and delicious recipes, thanks for sharing. I have also posted diffferent Chole Recipe on my blog, have a look http://www.vslittleworld.com 🙂
thanks vidya. i will surely check out your blog.
Very nice and delicious recipe thanks dassana…. I tries it and it turned sooooo yummy… very thankfull to you.
thanks and welcome raanu
wats d quantity of chole masala to be used for d dish?
you can add about 2 tsp for a spicier version and 1 tsp of chole masala for a less spicy version.
Hi,Dassana.Your chole recipe is great.My friend for delhi had given me the same recipe for both chole and bhaturas(with Potatoes).THe only difference is that there no tomatoes are used instead roasted anardana powder was used.also I added some dreid amla while cooking the cholas.All this brings about a rich black colour.I love your blog.It is very genuine.Thanks for the great recipes.
thanks shubh. i do know about the dry amla and anardana powder being added to chole. the dry amla gives a good black color and the anardana powder a good sour taste. tomatoes add some body and gravy to the chole. otherwise one can just make dry chole with the spices. both ways the chole tastes good.
Wow the Punjabi Chole and Aloo Bhaturas turned out so well.. The colour of the Chole was a bit dark as I had used Dark Red chillies in the spices.. Everyone loved it at home.. Thanks a lot Dassana.. God Bless You.. 🙂
thats great sunshine and thanks.
it was awesome…… i tried it and got several good comments.
thanx to dassana
thanks ritz for making the chole recipe and taking the time out to comment on the post.
hi dassana
yesterday i made this everyone ate heartily to their content and as usual no leftovers and loved the taste too, only the chilli part was a bit more for me but otherwise damn delicious and only one change i made is that for the gravy i mixed milk and water to give that thick consistency and the taste was very good.
thanks so much again dassana, my next is garlic dal, will let you know how it came out.
thats so nice to know sunita.
to get a thick consistency, just simmer the chickpeas for some minutes in the masala. you can even mash a few chickpeas whilst they are simmering with the back of the spoon. this way the gravy becomes thick. i think milk would have diluted the spicy nature of this recipe.
Hi Dassana,
Just want to know Punjabi Chole goes well with poori or chapathi… ????pls give the right combination that i cook next sunday…
This Sunday i plan to cook your garlic dal/ Aloo jeera… hope it comes out well… for 4 memembers…
Love
Janet
punjabi chole goes very well with pooris. ideally chole is served with bhatura. but if not making bhatura then best to serve with pooris.
don’t worry… the recipes are tried and tested and will come out well.
Truely Said, Garlic dal and aloo Jeera….10 /10 nothing more to say 🙂
Next Sunday as you suggested will cook the Punjabi Chole / pooris….
Thanks a ton
thanks janet for taking the time to comment on the recipes and that too after you have made them.
Hi Dassana,
Just want to tell you that the best thing about your receipe is that all the ingredients is so easy available in the kitchen that i dont have to search for itor look out for it out for it…. some website is so complicated ……………….
Pls continue the same always …:-)
i make sure that the ingredients i use are easily available to me too 🙂
Wow… cool
hi !i am very happy with this site .after a long time of reading and searching other sites this site is very unique.although i have bookmarked it also.the step by step photo presented by u is awesome .even we can get the picture of what is happening in each and every step.
thank you so much for fabulous receipes.
keep it up.
thanks amit for your lovely comments…
I was looking for different Channa/Chole Recipes. This one has been bookmarked too.
Will update you. Thanks! 🙂
yes shri, do update me.
This is by far the best food site in terms of photographs!! what a quality of pictures! great job!
thanks aishwarya. usually people write positively about recipes or both recipes and photos, but this is the first time i am getting a comment exclusively for photographs.
i hope to take my photography to the next level and present even better photographs.
thank you so much for such a good illustration of the recipe..!!
thanks yamini…
i tried your recipe for a party I had at home , believe me i got so many compliments …….thank you so much.
thanks anshula
Hi Dassana,
I made this chole recipe as you have mentioned and it turned out to be real good 🙂 thanks for your lovely recipes.
thanks surbhi…
i love this receipe its so simple and thanx for taking out time to update the same.
The recipe sounds delicious and I’ll be making it this week. One question, though:
Your #6 instruction says to “add the amchur powder”, but you don’t include it – or the quantity – in the ingredients list.
How much amchur is needed ?
you can add 1 tsp amchur powder. i remember updating the amount for amchur powder some time back. even i am surprised its not showing. may be the updation did not get saved. thanks for bringing this to my notice. i have added the amount for the amchur powder in the recipe post.
Wonderful ! Thank you very much. -PeterH
welcome Peter.
HI, Can you tell me what is meant by “chilly powder” in the recipe — is this the same thing labeled as Chili Powder for American chili recipes? Or is it actually just ground chiles?
the chili powder that is used in the recipe is the hot variety of red chili powder available in india. basically, its ground red chilies in pure form.
i think the american chili powder is usually a blend of chilies with other herbs or spices.
cayenne pepper comes close to the indian chili powder and you can easily use it in the recipe.
there are different types of red chili powder available in india and this recipes uses the hot variety.
Thanks so much. I couldn’t wait to try the recipe and did — my little one had three servings. It’s the first chole recipe that’s actually a “keeper”. Thanks so much for it! Look forward to trying others.
thats good…
it’s really yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love chole bature
I really like u r recipe of bathure i like it thanks for giving such a nice and easy recipe
thanks latu
This is my all time fave chole recipe! tried it once and it turned out to be yumm! Hit this page everytime I make the dish! Thankoooooo
thanks jyotsna…
thanks for the tested tasty chola recipes
thanks shweta
it seems nice… will try it soooooooooooon
Amchur powder is mentioned in the body of the recipe? How much and what is it? What about the yield and serving size?
sean…. amchur powder is dried mango powder…. it makes the dish sour and is a souring agent used for recipes in north india. you could add about 1 tsp of amchur powder.
this punjabi chole serves 3 to 4 people.
perfect recipe 🙂 🙂 loved it
wow…. It really came out well. my hubby liked it very much. thanz a lot to dassana and anita.
thanz for posting this wonderful recpie………..
thank you uma….the original was anita’s which i tweaked a little…. even at my place everyone likes this chole recipe…..
Thanks, for acknowledging the original amongst the copies, Dassana! It is no small thing!
Why don’t you join us for the Mad Party. You know the theme! The rules are simple – have yourself some tea (at home or at your favourite cafe) write a post about that with the theme woven in! 🙂 There is time till my laggard friends post!
Thanks Anita.
Count me in. I just completed right now posting a galangal lemon grass tea recipe. And then your comment appears. What a coincidence? This is my entry for the mad tea party.
In fact, I had checked the date for the event but I felt I was late. Your comment came at the right time. So lets have a tea party.
Absolutely delicious! I just made this recipe and it came out perfect. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I have been looking for a good chole recipe for a couple of years now. Yumm!
I have been looking for a chole recipe for a couple of years now. Everytime I make chole, they never turn out right. Either too spicy, too bland, too watery etc. I came across yours this morning and decided to try it. I must say that this is the best recipe except for the one that my mom makes. I am saving it under my favorites! Thanks a whole bunch for posting this!!
Superb…. I tried it yesterday and It really came out well. Thank you 🙂
thanks pavithra for the feedback.