Recipe card
Punjabi chole masala
Punjabi Chole or Chickpea Curry is a popular vegan and gluten-free Indian vegetarian curry dish where the dried chickpeas are soaked and pressure cooked, then mixed in onion tomato gravy with aromatic spices. Chole bhatura and chole chawal is a popular combo served on the street side and in dhabas across North India. You can serve chana masala for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even as a snack during special occasions or parties. Every region has its own variations. Some use tomatoes, while others don’t. You can also try no onion, no garlic chana masala, which is very popular and made during Navratri days. While you are here, don’t forget to check list of North Indian breakfast recipes and Indian vegetarian recipes for lunch and dinner.
Ingredients
Chickpeas: Dried chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans or kabuli chana, are traditionally used to make this channa masala. You can even use black chickpeas or canned chickpeas to make this recipe. Note that canned chickpeas will alter the taste and consistency of the gravy. Whole spices: If you love the flavor of spices, then feel free to add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon to the recipe. Chole masala: Use storebought chole masala powder from your favorite brand, easily available in Indian stores, or simply use garam masala powder or curry powder in the recipe. Tomatoes and onions: The more you saute and simmer, the better the gravy will be. Ginger and garlic: Use fresh ginger and garlic to enjoy the best flavors. Tea bags: These are used just to get the restaurant and dhaba color for your chickpea curry. If you are not worried about color, simply skip it in the recipe.
Step-by-step instructions
Pressure cook the chickpeas
Traditionally, dried chickpeas are used for the recipe. But you can even use canned chickpeas. If using canned chickpeas, then ignore this step. Soak chickpeas in water overnight. Next morning, drain the water and keep it aside. In a pressure cooker, add 3 ½ cups of water and 2 tea bags and bring it to a nice boil. Tea bags are used only for color and have no impact on the flavor. Remove the tea bags, add the chickpeas, and pressure cook for 3 whistles. 1 is on high flame and 2 is on medium flame. (About 12 to 15 minutes total).
How to make the best chole (chana masala)?
In a pan, heat oil or butter. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, and saute for 30 seconds. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the onions and saute till the onion becomes translucent. Add tomato puree or sauce and cook on medium-low flame for about 8 minutes. Cover the pan with the lid. Add garam masla powder, red chile powder, salt to taste and cook for 2 minutes Now add the cooked chickpeas, about 1 cup of water (use the water in which you cooked chickpeas for the best flavor), cover it, and let it simmer on medium-low flame for 18 to 20 minutes. This gravy thickens as it cooks. Adjust water for desired consistency. The more you simmer on low heat, the better flavor. You can also mash some of the chickpeas with the back of the spoon if needed. Add cilantro, lime juice (or chat masala or dry mango powder) and mix. Switch off the flame. Serve hot and enjoy. Chana Masala is ready. Garnish it with ginger julienne and cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy.
Chef tips
Soak the dried chickpeas overnight and pressure cook the next morning to get a softer and lighter texture. The time to cook chickpeas may depend on the quality of the chickpeas used, so you may have to vary the cooking time accordingly. Vary the ingredient amount as per your taste. If you want a stronger gravy, add more garam masala or chole masala powder. You can also add ½ teaspoon of coriander powder and cumin powder instead. If you like it sour or tangy, increase the amount of lime juice or chat masala. You can substitute tea bags with tea decoction (add ½ teaspoon of tea powder with water and bring it to a boil before adding chickpeas). This chickpea curry freezes well. Once the dish comes to room temperature, store it in an airtight container and freeze.
Instant pot chana masala
Instead of pressure cooking the chana (chickpeas), first, prepare the onion tomato masala gravy in the saute mode, add the soaked chickpeas, and then cook on high for around 35 minutes.
Serving suggestions
Chole or Chana masala tastes the best when served with bhature. Check out our recipe on chole bhatura for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
You can serve it with Indian flatbreads like simple naan, amritsari kulcha, quick chapati, paratha, roti. Check the list of Indian bread. Serve it with steamed basmati rice or jeera rice for a vegetarian meal combo. This goes well even with appam (surnali dosa) or Mangalorean neer dosa. While here, check out our interesting list on what to serve with Indian naan bread.
Storage suggestions
Like many other Indian curries, chole or chana masala can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or stovetop on medium heat before serving. You can even freeze the leftovers for upto 1 month.
More chickpea recipes
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