Step-wise picture recipe to make easy yet authentic and delicious Punjabi special Pindi Chole – a perfect accompaniment to any Indian bread or pulao or even plain rice!
You know sometimes you make stuff and totally forget about it? That’s my story about this delicious Pindi Chole which was made together with this cashew pulao but never got a chance to see the daylight of this blog until now. If not for someone sweet on Instagram reminding me that I never posted this recipe as promised, this truly would have been missed – silly me!
I usually don’t plan my food or my recipes for the blog because for some reason the plan never materializes. At the end of the day for someone like me, it ends up in a lot of anxiety having not achieved what I set out to. Throw in a few other important things like setting up your own house, the big move and an official trip. This blog missed a lot of action but in the end, I learnt an important lesson – for some things in life, just go with the flow and it is okay not to have a picture perfect plan. A lot of times, I get asked how I manage a full time job, keeping up my kitchen and home all the while maintaining this blog too. And I get called as a superwoman too, many a times. No, I am not. I am not perfect in a lot of things and I make a lot of compromises that work for me as of now, which might not be the case with someone else. I get a lot of help from my husband and my parents (when they are around). And I just try to do my best with whatever time I have and I know I can do better. While I wouldn’t call myself a superwoman, I must say that I am slightly proud of myself – I think every woman must be, for we are great at what we do, no matter how much we do. Ok, that’s a lot of gyaan for a food blog I know. Long story short – I managed to squeeze in some extra time (amidst all the other things) to do a video recipe after what seems like ages – yes, Pindi Chole video recipe is live on YouTube now!
Pindi Chole is a Punjabi specialty that goes really well with any Indian bread, especially Lucha/Poori or pulao or even plain Basmati rice. I first made this very long ago looking at a tv show and I remember bugging amma to give me a teabag, which was a luxury back then. Since I couldn’t find the said tea bag, I dropped in a teaspoon of tea leaves while cooking the chana/garbanzo beans and it turned out just fine. So that’s the other thing – be ready to explore your own cooking world, no recipe is set in stone (may be except for baking). This time I made do with a fake tea bag – tied in some black tea leaves in a muslin cloth and that turned out pretty well too. There are some amazing spices used for this recipe and it is not wrong to say that this is a flavorpot of a curry!
Check out the video recipe for Pindi Chole for step-wise instructions and easy to follow cooking techniques – don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel too!
How to make Pindi Chole | Punjabi Pindi Chana
📖 Recipe
Pindi Chole | Punjabi Pindi Chana
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
- 2 Dried Bay Leaves
- 2 inch Cinammon Piece
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Ajwain/Carom Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Anardana/Dried Pomegranate Seeds
- 2 cups Kabuli Chana soaked overnight
- ½ cup Finely Chopped Onions
- ½ cup Finely Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 -2 teaspoon Black Tea bags 1.5 teaspoon Black Tea Powder/Leaves
- 1 Green Chilli Finely Chopped
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Shahi Jeera
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dry Mango Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- Salt as needed
- Water as needed
- Fresh Coriander to garnish
- Sliced Ginger to garnish
- Sliced Onions to garnish
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker, add soaked kabuli chana along with tea bags (or black tea leaves tied tightly in a muslin bag) with enough water and cook for 4-5 whistles.
- Let the pressure drop naturally, discard the tea bag but save the water.
- In a pan, dry roast all ingredients for pindi chole masala until fragrant. Grind into a smooth powder once cooled down. Set it aside.
- In the same pan, heat oil. Add shahi jeera and finely chopped green chillies along with asafoetida.
- As they splutter, add finely chopped onions and cook until they are pink and look fried.
- Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, garam masala powder and fry until the raw smell goes off.
- As the oil oozes out from the edges, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they are mushy.
- Next add cooked kabuli chana and salt as needed. Mix well.
- Finally add the prepared pindi chole masala powder and cook for 3-4 mins. Add water reserved from cooking chana and let this boil for 7-8 mins on low flame. Garnish with fresh coriander
- Serve hot with any Indian bread (poori being the best), rice or pulao.
Detailed recipe of making Pindi Chole | Punjabi Pindi Chana
- In a pressure cooker, add soaked kabuli chana along with tea bags (or black tea leaves tied tightly in a muslin bag) with enough water and cook for 4-5 whistles.
- Let the pressure drop naturally, discard the tea bag but save the water.
- In a pan, dry roast all ingredients for pindi chole masala until fragrant. Grind into a smooth powder once cooled down. Set it aside.
- In the same pan, heat oil. Add shahi jeera and finely chopped green chillies along with asafoetida.
- As they splutter, add finely chopped onions and cook until they are pink and look fried.
- Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, garam masala powder and fry until the raw smell goes off.
- As the oil oozes out from the edges, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they are mushy.
- Next add cooked kabuli chana and salt as needed. Mix well.
- Finally add the prepared pindi chole masala powder and cook for 3-4 mins. Add water reserved from cooking chana and let this boil for 7-8 mins on low flame. Garnish with fresh coriander
- Serve hot with any Indian bread (poori being the best), rice or pulao.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust spices as per heat preference. This gravy is on the spicier side.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
Jhuls
With all the lovely ingredients, I could almost imagine how delicious this dish is. I love the video tutorial as well. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday party! I hope you get to visit other partygoers as well.
chcooks
Thanks much Jhuls 🙂
TurksWhoEat
This must be sooo flavorful and delicious, sounds wonderful 😀
chcooks
Thanks 🙂