Pindi Chole
Chickpea cooked with spices
This is a dish named after the city it comes from! Rawalpindi is a city in Pakistan but the culinary connect is strong with the Punjabi Cuisine of India. This chickpea dish is best served with bhature or puri. The best part- it is a no onion no garlic dish! Ideally this should be cooked in an iron pan to enhance the dark colour and also the flavour of the dish.
Ingredients:
- 250g chickpeas
- For Potli to Boil Chickpeas:
- 1 tbsp strong tea leaves
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 cloves
- 2″ cinnamon stick
- 6 green cardamoms
- 4 black cardamom
- For Tempering:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp carom seeds
- Dry spices:
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp raw mango powder
- 2 tsp kasoori methi powder
- 2 tsp dried pomegranate seed powder
- Other Ingredients
- 1 tsp Black Salt
- 2 tsp Thick Tamarind Pulp
- 4 tbsp Oil
- Salt to Taste
- 2tsp finely chopped ginger
- 4 green chilies, slit
- Ginger juliennes to garnish
- Coriander leaves to garnish
- Lemon wedges to serve
Method:
- In a large vessel, soak the chickpeas in 3 cups water for overnight or 8 hours.
- In a clean muslin cloth, securely tie together tea leaves, cracked green cardamom, cracked black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves.
- Drain the chickpeas and rinse once in clear water.
- Pressure cook the drained chickpeas with the spice bag, 2 cups water and 1tsp salt for 20 minutes.
- Check for doneness. If the chickpeas are still form to touch, cook further till tender.
- When the chick peas are cooked, discard the spice bag.
- Drain the excess water from the cooked chickpeas and reserve the water.
- Mix together all the powdered spices in a bowl.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the carom seeds, ginger and slit green chillies.
- Stir-fry for about 1 minute till the ginger is fragrant.
- Add the powdered spices, mix and immediately add ½ cup of reserved chickpea water.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add the cooked chole and mix well.
- Allow to cook till all the water is absorbed.
- Add another ½ cup reserved chickpea water, the black salt, salt to taste and tamarind paste.
- Mix well.
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes till most of the water evaporates.
- Remove from heat and garnish with ginger juliennes, coriander leaves.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
- Best served with bhature or puri.
Comments