Saturday, March 31, 2007

Pindi Chole


Chole / Garbanzo - a favorite with everyone. There are so many different ways of cooking this nutty bean. It is near impossible to go wrong with this bean. This recipe is from my friend T's mom, Aunty C. Her Chole-Bhatures are by far the best I have tasted till date. She would make this everytime T and I went home. I was very enamoured by the fact that her choles would have a rich chocolatey-brown color. Now I know her secret :) which I am going to share with you.

1 cup dry garbanzo, soaked overnight in warm water
1 large onion, sliced lenghtwise
1 tea bag
2" ginger, grated
1 fat clove garlic, grated
3 tomatoes, chopped fine
1/2 tsp turmwric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp Anardana (Pomogrante seed)powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Oil
To Garnish
1/2" ginger, sliced thinly
Chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp oil

Drain the water from thegarbanzo, rinse a couple of times. In a pressure cooker, add garbanzo + tea bag + 3 cups water and cook for 3 whistles. Remove from heat and keep aside. When the cooker cols, drain the garbanzo beans and reserve the cooking liquid. Discard the tea bag.

In a pan, heat oil and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onion and cook till the onion tuens brown. Add garlic + grated ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the tomato + turmeric powder + chilli powder + coriander powder + cumin powder + anar dana powder + salt. Mix well and cook till the tomato-masala paste is cooked and oil separates. Now add the cooked garbanzo bean + 1 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Cook till the water has almost dried. The gravy should be thick at this point.

To serve : Heat oil in a pan till it is almost smoking. Add the sliced ginger and cook till the ginger begins to brown. Add this to the cooked Chole, sprinkle some chopped coriander and serve hot with Bhature / Paratha. Enjoy !

20 comments:

FH said...

Hey I am going to post the Pindi Chole in few weeks!;D

Looks good.I want the recipe,thank you:)

Mythreyee said...

thats a wonderful dish. Great for Rotis and Naans. Thanks for sharing your version.

TNL said...

this combo never gets old...love both chhole-bhature a lot!

thanks for the teabag tip.

Richa said...

aah, chole my all time fav!
pic is mouth watering.
thanks.

Padmaja said...

hi sangeeta, i made this last week and here i see this recipe. small query about tea bag, i never add tea bag when i pressure cook chole? can u please tell me in what way it helps so that i can try u'rs once!!

bee said...

we've tried atleast 15 ways of makin chole. never got the perfect balance of flavours. this looks about right. will try it.

Sangeeta said...

@ Asha, Thanks. I am waiting for your version of Chole :)

@ Mythreyee, Thanks :)

@ Trupti, Thanks. You are very welcome :)

@ Richa, Thanks :)

@ Paddukoti, The tea bag gives the Chole a lovely rich brown color.

@ Bee, Let me know how this recipe works for you. :)

Anonymous said...

This looks different adding grates of ginger! will try your version next time. i have posted mine yesterday!

Sharmi said...

Hi Sangeeta, I love Chole. May it be with roti, bature or rice. it tastes yummi. didnt try out your version still. looks so yummy.

cheers
sharmi

Swapna said...

I had made Pindi Chole and loved them. At first, the idea of adding tea leaves to the chole sounded odd..But the tea taste added a special zing to the chole:)

Prema Sundar said...

I make chole almost similar to this method. Adding tea bags is new to me.. What is the reason for adding the tea bags Sangeetha?

Sangeeta said...

@ Roopa,Thanks :)

@ Sharmi, Thanks :)

@ Swapna, I am glad your trial using the tea leaves worked well :)

@ Prema, The tea bag gives the chole a nich, rich brown color. Also adds to the flavor of the dish :)

musical said...

Hey Sangeeta,

Nice blog you have :). My first visit here. Chhole are my ever favorite. Great recipe. I almost feel like reaching out and grabbing a bite.

My recipe is quite similar to yours but has very lil' turmeric and i use imli juice for color and tang along with nutmeg powder. This eliminates the need to use chai-bags. But every now and then, chai flavor cravings come up and i end up adding a bag.

Much regards,
musical.

Sangeeta said...

@ Musical, Thanks for stopping by :)I have never made chole with nutmeg powder - definitely going to give it a try :)

Vini K said...

Hey Sangeeta,wow chole is my fav!will try this recipe soon.Have heard a lot about it.your panchratan dal and potato kadhi look great.Never heard of panchratan dal before!

Manjula said...

Hi Sangeetha,
Nice recipe there. Hey, can I use amchur powder instead of anardhana?
Got a packet of it, never used.

Do you have any recipes where I can use amchur powder. I remember seeing one in the past, cannot locate it now.

Sangeeta said...

@ Vini, Thanks :) Hope you are feeling better now

@ Manjula, You can use 1/2 amchoor and 1/2 anardana. I generally use Amchoor when making Kadhi or Stuffed karela or Aloo Tikka. Hope this helps :)

Anonymous said...

i mostly make chole in curry form. this looks dry and different. i must try this. picture is tempting:).

Mandira said...

i've never managed to get that perfect pindi chole recipe, looks like I've found it. Thanks.

Kajal said...

Hi Sangeeta,
Good recipe with nice blog.
I like Panchmel Dal very much. I will try it diffentely.
Chole looks yummy.........and delicious too.:)
-Kajal