Pindi chole come from Rawalpindi, the city Punjabis call Pindi, and arrived in Delhi and Amritsar with families who migrated after Partition. Unlike most North Indian chickpea curries, the traditional version uses no onion-tomato gravy at all; the colour and tang come from tea, amla, dried pomegranate seeds and a heavily roasted spice mix.
The chickpeas are almost dry, coated in a dark, intense masala that is sour, earthy and spicy, with whole spices and a pour of hot ghee over green chillies and ginger at the end. Each chickpea is soft through but holds its shape, and the dish has a smoky, slightly bitter edge from deeply roasted spices.
Pindi chole are eaten with kulchas or bhature, or with plain rice. They are also popular at langars and Sunday family lunches, garnished with onion rings and lemon. Because there is no onion or tomato gravy, the chole keep well for a day or two and taste even better reheated. The roasted pindi masala is the heart of the dish, so it is worth grinding a fresh batch rather than relying on a packet.
At a glance
| Region | Punjab |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Punjabi |
| Diet | Vegetarian |
| Course | Main course |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 50 minutes |
| Total time | 65 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Hot |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | chickpeas / anardana / amla / ghee |
Ingredients
For boiling
- 1 1/2 cups kabuli chana, soaked overnight
- 2 tea bags
- 3 dried amla pieces
- 2 black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional)
For the pindi masala
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp anardana (dried pomegranate seeds)
- 4 dried red chillies
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- Seeds of 2 black cardamom
- 1 tsp amchur
- 1/2 tsp black salt
For the tadka
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 2 inch ginger, julienned
- 4 green chillies, slit
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
Method
- Pressure cook the soaked chana with 3 1/2 cups water, tea bags, amla, whole spices, salt and baking soda: 1 whistle on high, then 15 minutes on low. The chana should be very soft and dark. Discard tea bags, amla and whole spices.
- Dry-roast coriander, cumin, anardana, red chillies, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom seeds in a pan on low for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the anardana is dark and everything is very fragrant. Cool and grind fine with amchur and black salt.
- Drain the chana, reserving the cooking liquid. Put the chana in a wide heavy pan and sprinkle 3 tbsp of the pindi masala over it.
- Add 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid and cook on medium for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring gently, until the liquid is absorbed and the masala coats each chickpea. Add more liquid only if it sticks.
- Lightly mash a few chickpeas to bind the masala. Taste and adjust salt and tang.
- For the tadka, heat ghee in a small pan until hot. Add ginger and green chillies and fry 1 minute until the ginger starts to crisp. Switch off, add chilli powder.
- Pour the sizzling tadka over the chole, cover for 2 minutes, then toss and serve.
Tips
- The deeply roasted anardana gives the characteristic dark colour; roast slowly so it does not burn.
- Store extra pindi masala in an airtight jar for a month.
- Some cooks place a hot coal in the chole with ghee for smoke, as with dal makhani.
Serve with
Kulcha or bhature, with onion rings, pickled chillies and lemon.