Chole Masala (Chickpea Curry)

Hello everyone I am Debashis, a recipe blogger. I am from India and I believe Indian food is much more than $10 all you can eat buffet. I share recipes of lesser known Indian dishes in North America online and with folks to help people cook good Indian food at home. I also want to remove the myth that all Indian food is spicy.

If there is one dish which is served from Exotic Dinners to Street Food in the Indian Cuisine, it is Chana Masala. You can just serve it in a bowl, add a samosa and some fresh garnish on top with curd and tamarind and it turns into a famous chat item. The dish is one of the mainstays in many north Indian dinner parties. So I have not tried to change much about this dish, it is prepared with slight variations across the country and mine is a simpler instant pot version too. It cooks without much fuzz and goes great with any type of bread.

Ingredients:

Some oil1 onion sliced thin

1 Teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 Teaspoon of ginger garlic paste

1 Teaspoon of turmeric powder

1 Teaspoon of coriander powder

2 tomatoes diced into small pieces

Salt to taste

½ lb of chickpeas, soaked in water overnight

½ Lemon for serving

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Whole spices –6 cloves

4 cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

1 star anise

Some bay leaves

1 black cardamom

Masala/Spice Mix –2 Teaspoons of garam masala powder (all spice)

1 Teaspoon of chat masala powder

1 Teaspoon of dry mango powder

2 Teaspoons of dried fenugreek leaves (kasturi methi)

1 Teaspoon of red chili (Kashmiri) powder

1. Add the ingredients listed in the Ingredients under the Masala/Spice mix section into a bowl.

2. Add ¼ cup of water and mix them together into a paste, keep it aside.

1. Take the instant pot, switch on the “Sauté mode” and pour some oil in it.

2. Add the whole spices and sauté for a minute.

3. Add the onions, cumin seeds and ginger garlic paste, sauté for 8 minutes and let the onions caramelize.

1. Now add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally to prevent the masala from catching on the pot.

2. Take out the ingredients from the pot and blend them into a paste.

3. Pour it back into the pot and add the spice mix (masala) prepared before into it. Mix them together while cooking for 2 more minutes.

1. Add salt and the soaked chickpeas into the instant pot, add 2 cups of water and mix them.

2. Close the lid and pressure cook for 15 minutes (or 3 whistles).

3. Let the pressure release by itself once the 15 minutes are over, open the lid.

4. Take some of the chickpeas out with a little gravy/curry into the blending jar. Blend them into a thick paste and add them back into the pot. This step is optional but helps in thickening of the gravy and gives it a good texture.

5. Squeeze a little lemon on top, sprinkle some cilantro leaves and serve it hot with roti, naan bread or rice.