Amritsari Chole Masale is a rich chickpea curry that is filled with earthy warm spices with a hint of tang from dry pomegranate seeds and mango powder. It's rustic and extremely comforting. To get that gorgeous dark shade, you have to follow a few tips that I mentioned below.
The dark shade is what makes it special, like dhaba style chole masale. With a laccha onion on the side, I often eat more than I should.
What is Amritsari Chole Masale?
Chole is referred to one of the most popular North Indian side dish. We prepare it with dried garbanzo beans that are kept soaked overnight. There are various different versions of making chole.
I often make the quick version of chana masala with chickpea/garbanzo beans.
The Amritsari Chole Masale is our fav and I think I finally nailed the flavor, taste and consistency of the gravy. I had to definitely keep it low on the spice level since my kid cannot eat spicy food. Except for that, it was pretty close to dhaba style.
Ingredients for Amritsari Chole Masale
Chickpea or Garbanzo Beans - Use only dried chickpea or garbanzo beans. You want the dried chickpea to soak it all the flavors as it cooks.
Onion, Tomato, Garlic and Ginger - These are the usual typical ingredients used in most Indian dishes. You want to finely chop the onion. Do not purée it. As for the tomato, you can either purée or finely chop. You also need ginger garlic paste.
You can make this exact same dish with no onion and no garlic too.
Chana Masala Spices - Freshly prepared chana masala powder will add the best flavor to the dish as compared to the store bought. It only needs, cumin seeds, carom seeds, star anise, mace, cinnamon sticks and dried pomegranate seeds.
Other spices - Apart from this you also need, black cardamom, star anise and bay leaves when you are boiling the soaked chickpea. You also need cumin powder, chili powder, salt, turmeric and dry mango powder.
The list of spice is long, but it is this combination of these warm spices that make this chickpea curry so unique.
Some also adds dried Indian gooseberry while boiling the chickpea.
Ghee - The ghee tadka at the end is not optional in my opinion. It adds a richness and aroma to the dish. Ghee tadka with thinly sliced ginger and some sliced green chili.
Steps to prepare
1- Wash the chickpea/garbanzo beans and then soak overnight with dried Indian gooseberry (amla). I use a tea dipper as it will be easy to remove the amla once we are ready to boil the chickpea.
2- Make the fresh chana masala powder by dry roasting few spices and then ground it to powder.
3- Next day, boil the soaked chickpea with black tea. Just take the water you need to boil the chana and then bring to boil separately in a pan. Add black tea leaves and let it simmer for few minutes. Then strain to a pressure cooker, add the soaked chickpea and pressure-cook it until it's soft but holds shape.
4- One of the key reason for the gorgeous color of Amritsari chole comes from preparing the dish in black cast iron pot.
5- In a cast iron pan or pot or wok, heat oil and add cinnamon stick and green cardamoms and clove. Then add onion and ginger garlic paste. Sauté for a while until it looks softened.
6- Add 2 tablespoon of freshly prepared chana masala, salt and turmeric and little chili powder too.
7- Cook the spices until you see oil being released on the side. Keep stirring as needed to avoid it from burning.
8- Add ¼ cup of the boiled chana and mash it. This will create a nice thick gravy.
9- Add rest of the boiled chana along with some of all the water. Add the tomato puree and stir it around.
10- Cover and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
11- Sprinkle dry mango powder and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir it around. Taste for salt. And add more if needed.
12 - Finish the Amritsari chole masala by adding a sizzle tadka of ghee, sliced ginger and sliced green chili.
13 - Now add mango powder, rest of the chana masala powder, dried fenugreek leaves and give a stir. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
14 - In a small pan, heat ghee, along with sliced ginger and green chili too.
15- Add the hot ghee tadka to the chola and mix it around.
16 - Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.
Enjoy warm spiced Amritsari Chole with puffed soft Bhatura.
With left over Chola Masala you can make pulao the next day, similar to how I had made Kala Chana Pulao
I will not call this dish for weeknight unless you have some free time in hand. Some dishes need that love and care for the flavor to come out.
FAQs
For the dark shade of chole masala, there are two things you have to follow. You have to boil the chickpea in red tea, and you have to prepare the dish in a cast iron utensil.
You can, but it will not be as tasty as it will turn out when you cook using dried chickpea.
Both these helps to add that tangy flavor to the chole masale. If you absolutely cannot find it, then you can use lemon juice while serving.
Have you tried these delicious North Indian dishes?
Amritsari Chole Masale
Ingredients
To soak the dried chickpea
- 1 and ½ cups Chickpea (Soaked overnight)
- 1 tablespoon Dried Indian gooseberry (amla)
To boil Chickpea
- Soaked chickpea
- 2 tablespoon Black tea leaves
- 2 and ½ cups water
Chana Masala Powder
- 1 Tbsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Carom Seeds
- 1 Star Anise
- 1 Small Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Whole Mace Spice
- 2 tablespoon Dried Pomegranate Seeds
- 2 Dry Red Chili
To prepare the Chole Masale
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 and ½ Inch Fresh ginger
- 1 Medium Size Red Onion (Finely chopped )
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Small Cinnamon stick
- 3 Green Cardamoms
- ½ tsp cloves
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tbsp Chili powder
- 1 Tomato (Pureed)
- 1 Tbsp Dried Mango Powder
- 1 Tbsp Dried Fenugreek leaves
- Cilantro leaves for garlic
- Few slit green chili to add in tadka if you want spicy
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
Instructions
Boil the Chickpea
- Wash the chickpea/garbanzo beans and then soak overnight with dried Indian gooseberry (amla). I use a tea dipper as it will be easy to remove the amla once we are ready to boil the chickpea.
- Make the fresh chana masala powder by dry roasting spices mentioned and then ground it to powder.
- Next day, boil the soaked chickpea with black tea. Just take the water you need to boil the chana and then bring to boil separately in a pan. Add black tea leaves and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then strain to a pressure cooker, add the soaked chickpea and pressure-cook it until it's soft but holds shape.For electric pressure cooker, it takes 36 to 40 minutes.
- In a cast iron pan or pot or wok, heat oil and add cinnamon stick and green cardamoms and clove. Then add onion and ginger garlic paste. Sauté for a while until it looks softened.
- Add 2 tablespoon of freshly prepared chana masala, salt and turmeric and little chili powder too.
- Cook the spices until you see oil being released on the side. Keep stirring as needed to avoid it from burning.
- Add ¼ cup of the boiled chana and mash it. This will create a nice thick gravy.
- Add rest of the boiled chana along with some of all the water. Add the tomato purée and stir it around.
- Cover and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle dry mango powder and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir it around. Taste for salt. And add more if needed.
- In a small pan, heat ghee, along with sliced ginger and green chili too. Add the hot ghee tadka to the chola and mix it around.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves if you want and serve.
