Amritsari Chole (Chickpeas Curry) is an delicious vegetarian meal that you can usually find in north Indian roadside eateries called dhabas, or at Indian restaurants. Traditionally Amritsari Chole is served with Bhatura (Puffy Indian Deep Fried Bread). I cooked this recipe at home for my family. You too try cooking this recipe. 

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • White Chana (Chickpeas) also known as Kabuli Chana – Half Kg.  Soaked in water for overnight.
  • Shahi Jeera (Caraway Seeds) – 2 tbs.
  • Lawang (Cloves) – 4 pieces.
  • Tej Patta (Bay Leaves) – 4 pieces.
  • Dry Red Chilli – 2 piece.
  • Annar Dana (Dry Pomegranate seeds) – 1 tbs.
  • Green Cardamom (Choti Elaichi) – 4 pieces.
  • Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) – 2 piece.
  • Jai Phal (Nutmeg) – A Pinch.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Cinnamon Stick (Dal Chini) – 2 inch size.
  • Kashmiri Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp.
  • Hot Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp.
  • Coriander (Dhaniya) powder – 2 tsp.
  • Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp.
  • Ammchur (Dry Raw Mango) powder – 1 tsp.
  • Jeera (Cummin) powder – 1 tsp.
  • Haldi (Tumeric) powder – Half tsp.
  • Chat Masala powder – Half tsp.
  • Tea powder – 1 tsp.
  • Mustard Oil – 1 tbs.
  • Ghee – 4 tbs.
  • Onion – 3 medium size.  Finely chopped.
  • Tomato – 2 medium size.  Finely chopped.
  • Ginger – 2 inch size.
  • Garlic – 8 cloves.
  • Green Chilli – 1 piece.
  • Curd or Yoghurt – One cup.  Whisked nicely.
  • Fresh Coriander Leaves – finely chopped – One cup.

Method:

  • Take a clean small cotton cloth.  Add One dry Red chilli split into two, one black cardamom, half of the Cinnamon stick, half of the tej patta, two green cardamom, tea leaves powder to this cotton cloth.  Tie all these spices in the cotton cloth in such a way that spices doesn’t come out of the cloth.  This will ensure that only flavours of these spices infuse the Chana (Chickpeas) and not the actual spice.
  • Take a pressure cooker.  Add soaked white chana, add sufficient water (water level should be double the level of white chana inside the cooker), add half tsp of salt, add the above cotton cloth tied up with spices into the pressure cooker.
  • Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook it till 4 or 5 whistles of the pressure cooker.  Turn off the heat.  
  • After the cooker is cooled down, remove the cotton cloth dipped inside the white chana while boiling and discard it.  
  • Take a Mortar and Pestle.  Add Annar Dana in it and coarsely crush it. Remove the crushed Annar Dana and keep it aside.
  • In the same Mortar and Pestle, add ginger, garlic and green chilli in it. Coarsely crush them.
  • Take a large Kadai.  Add Mustard Oil and heat it up until it start smoking. Then add ghee and allow it to melt.
  • Add shahi jeera, lawang, cinnamon stick, dry red chilli, green cardamom, black cardamom, tej patta, into the hot ghee.  Allow them to crackle for few seconds.
  • Add crushed ginger/garlic/green chilli paste.  Mix it well and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on high flame.
  • Add chopped onion into the kadai.  Mix it well.  Cook the onion on high flame until it turns golden brown.
  • Add chopped tomatoes.  Mix it well.  Cook the tomatoes until the pulp is seperated from its skin and you start seeing oil on the masala surface.
  • Reduce the flame to low, add Kashmiri Red Chilli powder, Red Chilli powder, Coriander (Dhaniya) powder, Garam Masala powder, Aamchur (Dry Raw Mango) powder, Jeera (Cummin) powder,  Haldi (Tumeric) powder, Chat Masala powder, Salt to taste and stir them well.  Add little water to prevent the masala powder from burning.  Keep stirring on medium flame and allow the masala powders to cook for 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Add whisked curd in to the kadai.  Mix them well.  Cook the curd along with other masalas on high flame until Curd releases its oil on the surface.
  • Add boiled Chole (White Chana) along with it’s water in to the kadai.  Mix them well. Cook the Chole on high heat.
  • Take a crusher.  Crush only the bottom part of the Chole in the kadai slowly. Don’t crush all the Chole. There should be 50% whole Chole (white chana) in this Chole dish.
  • Once you have crushed some of the Chole and it starts boiling, grat the Jai phal and add it to Chole.  And also add crushed Annar Dana.  Mix them well.
  • Cover the kadai with a lid.  Turn the flame to medium.  Allow it to dum cook for 12 to 15 minutes with lid covered.
  • Open the lid of Kadai and give Chole a mix.
  • Add half of the chopped fresh coriander leaves.  Mix it well with the Chole. Cover the kadai with lid.  Turn off the flame.
  • Amritsari Chole is ready.  
  • Serve Amritsari Chole hot in a serving bowl.  Garnish it with chopped fresh coriander leaves, onion rings and fresh lime.
  • Traditionally Amritsari Chole is served with Bhatura (Puffy Indian Deep Fried Bread). Enjoy Amritsari Chole Bhatura.
  • Happy Eating.

Bhatura Recipe:

  • Here’s the link for my BHATRA RECIPE.  Bhatura