Pindi Chole or Pindi Chana Masala is a dry preparation made using chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Hailing from the area in and around Rawalpindi, a city in erstwhile Punjab in undivided India now in Pakistan, this pindi chole recipe is somewhat a speciality of this region. It is dark brown in colour, with no or very little gravy and is often served with bhature or kulchas.
What sets it apart from regular Chana Masala recipes is its appearance, dark brown in colour and dry. While some say it is a no onion and no garlic recipe, however the one I have tasted and made here has both onion and garlic along with a special blend of spices. Also, the dark colour of the pindi choley is due to the slow cooking done in a pure iron kadhai or wok. We have replicated that by using a black tea bag while cooking the chickpeas. A very neat and indeed a popular trick in use!
In this post, I have listed out how to make authentic Pindi Chole Recipe including the chana masala powder recipe right from scratch to go with some hot and crispy Bhature. Plus how to cook chole or chickpeas for this pindi chana recipe.
Why you will love this Amritsari Pindi Chole recipe
- Absolute Delicacy. Yes, you might think I exaggerate but I don’t. This Pindi Chana recipe will give you an exact taste of the street-style Amritsari Chole Bhature dished out by some of the joints.
- Easy to Make. If you know how to make yourself comfortable in the kitchen, then you can easily make pindi chole at home using my recipe here.
- Make a Big Batch & Enjoy it over the next few Days. You can easily make a double batch of this Pindi Chana recipe and freeze half of it for later. Not only will you have a side dish only requiring 1 Min of Microwave heating, but a batch of better-tasting Amritsari Chole as the flavours develop overnight
- It is a fantastic treat for friends & family. This is an amazing side dish idea for your parties and brunches. Pair it with Jeera Rice, Naans, Bhature, or simply store-bought Kulchas, you are surely going to win some hearts with your menu
Pindi Chole Punjabi Style Ingredients list
For Amritsari Pindi Chole Masala Powder Recipe
- Cumin Seeds
- Caraway Seeds (Shahi Jeera)
- Coriander Seeds
- Carrom Seeds (Ajwain)
- Peppercorns
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Green Cardamom
- Black Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Mace
For Pindi Chole Recipe
- Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana/Garbanzo Beans)
- Onion
- Tomato
- Ginger & Garlic
- Mustard Oil
- Ghee
- Dry Red Chilli
- Bay Leaf
- Hing or Asafoetida
- Indian Gooseberry or Amla
- Black Tea Bag
- Salt
- Smoked Paprika or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
Pindi Choley or Indian Chickpea Curry recipe
To make the homemade Pindi Chole Masala Powder powder
- Dry roast all the spices listed under the tag for Chole Masala powder recipe. Tear open the cardamoms and give them a couple of pounds to better release the flavours. Remove the shells of the cardamoms and keep them aside
- Roast them till they become aromatic and start smoking a bit. Turn off the heat and remove the spices to another plate to stop them from burning in the heated pan
- Once the spices have cooled down completely, grind it into a fine powder. Store it in an air-tight container till you are ready to use.
To prep or soak the Chickpeas for this Pindi Chana Masala recipe
- Wash the Chickpeas or Kabuli Chana and then soak it in clean drinking water for a minimum of 8-10 hrs or overnight
- Next morning, discard the soaking water and wash the chickpeas a couple of times before cooking
- Pressure cook the soaked Chickpeas in adequate water, enough to cover them with some Salt, Amla or Indian Gooseberry, Cardamom shells that we kept aside and a Black Tea Bag
- Allow the Pressure Cooker to whistle 3-4 times on High heat and then cook on Medium heat for the next 15 minutes. After that turn off the heat and allow the cooker to cool down completely and depressurize on its own
- Once it is ready to be opened, remove the lid of the cooker. Discard the tea bag and the shells that we put in. They have done their magic
I am often asked if one can make this recipe for Pindi Choley Masala or any other Chana Masala recipe without soaking the chickpeas. My answer is yes, you can. However, it would take an enormous time to cook and soften up in a Pressure Cooker. Some people add Sodium Bicarbonate or Baking Soda to fasten the process however I avoid using it as it often leads to issues for those who have a sensitive stomach.
Beans like chickpeas or garbanzo beans and rajma or kidney beans need to cook through properly and soaking them overnight obviously helps with that.
To make the Pindi Choley
- Heat some Mustard Oil in a pan and drop the Bay Leaf and some Hing in it. Let it sizzle for a couple of seconds before adding the Onion paste. Saute it for a couple of minutes before adding the ginger, garlic, and tomato paste to it. Fry this till it reduces and you see some oil separating at the edges
- Now, add the smoked paprika or red chili powder and the prepared Pindi Chole Masala Powder. Add a bit of salt and give everything a mix
- Add the cooked chole into the masala mix in a minute or two of cooking on medium-low heat. Give everything a good mix and let it simmer till it reduces to a dry-ish gravy. Keep stirring and mashing a bit using the back of your ladle. This will thicken and improve the texture of this dish
- Once it has reached the desired consistency, turn the heat off.
- In another tadka pan, heat some ghee. Turn off the heat and drop a couple of sliced garlic cloves, half a teaspoon of red chilli powder and whole dried red chilies. Allow them to sizzle for a minute and then pour it over the chana. Serve it hot.
Equipments in use
Mixing Bowl | Pressure Cooker | Cooking Pan | Tadka Pan | NutriBullet Grinder | Electric Chopper
Pindi Chana Masala Serving Suggestions
As I said before, Amritsari Chole Bhature is the way to go with this. Crispy, fluffy and a little bit tangy Bhature with spicy Pindi Choley makes for the best combo. But that’s not the limit. You can pair this Amritsari Pindi Chana Masala with Jeera Rice, Paranthas, Pooris and even some Kulchas.
As accompaniments, you can serve Pickled Onions or Sirke Wale Pyaaz, Raita and some Mint-Coriander Chutney.
Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it.
Tag me on Instagram @priyankabhattacharya.sa or Facebook @hashdiaries and I will share it further.
Pindi Chole or Pindi Chana Masala is a dry preparation made using chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Hailing from the area in and around Rawalpindi, a city in erstwhile Punjab in undivided India now in Pakistan, this pindi chole recipe is somewhat a speciality of this region. It is dark brown in colour, with no or very little gravy and is often served with bhature or kulchas.
- ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
- ¼ tsp Caraway Seeds Shahi Jeera
- ½ tsp Coriander Seeds
- ½ tsp Carrom Seeds Ajwain
- ½ tsp Peppercorns
- 4 Cloves
- ½ inch Cinnamon
- 2 Green Cardamom
- 1 Black Cardamom
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg
- 2-3 strands Mace
- 1 cup Chickpeas Kabuli Chana/Garbanzo Beans
- 1 Onion Large
- 2 Tomato Medium
- 2 tbsp Ginger & Garlic grated
- 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 Dry Red Chilli
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ⅛ tsp Hing or Asafoetida
- 1 Indian Gooseberry or Amla
- 1 Black Tea Bag
- Salt to Taste
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
-
Dry roast all the spices listed under the tag for Chole Masala powder recipe. Tear open the cardamoms and give them a couple of pounds to better release the flavours. Remove the shells of the cardamoms and keep them aside
-
Roast them till they become aromatic and start smoking a bit. Turn off the heat and remove the spices to another plate to stop them from burning in the heated pan
-
Once the spices have cooled down completely, grind it into a fine powder. Store it in an air-tight container till you are ready to use.
-
Wash the Chickpeas or Kabuli Chana and then soak it in clean drinking water for a minimum of 8-10 hrs or overnight
-
Next morning, discard the soaking water and wash the chickpeas a couple of times before cooking
-
Pressure cook the soaked Chickpeas in adequate water, enough to cover them with some Salt, Amla or Indian Gooseberry, Cardamom shells that we kept aside and a Black Tea Bag
-
Allow the Pressure Cooker to whistle 3-4 times on High heat and then cook on Medium heat for next 15 minutes. After that turn off the heat and alllow the cooker to cool down completely and depressurise on its own
-
Once it is ready to be opened, remove the lid of the cooker. Discard the tea bag and the shells that we put in. They have done their magic
-
Heat some Mustard Oil in a pan and drop the Bay Leaf and some Hing in it. Let it sizzle for couple of seconds before adding the Onion paste. Saute it for a couple of minutes before adding the ginger, garlic and tomato paste in it. Fry this till it reduces and you see some oil separating at the edges
-
Now, add the smoked paprika or red chilli powder and the prepared Pindi Chole Masala Powder. Add a bit of a salt and give everything a mix
-
In a minute or two of cooking on medium-low heat, add the cooked chole into the masala mix. Give everything a good mix and let it simmer till it reduces to a dry-ish gravy. Keep stirring and mashing it a bit using the back of your ladle. This will thicken and improve the texture of this dish
Season with Salt as needed.
-
Once it has reached the desired consistency, turn the heat off.
-
In another tadka pan, heat some ghee. Turn off the heat and drop a couple of sliced garlic cloves, half a teaspoon of red chilli powder and whole dried red chilies. Allow them to sizzle for a minute and then pour it over the chana. Serve it hot.
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