2.5teaspoonsgaram masalaOr Jain chole masala, see notes
2teaspoonred chili powder
¼teaspoonturmeric powder
1½teaspooncoriander powder
½teaspoondried ginger powdersauth
1teaspoonamchoor powder
1teaspoonkasoori methi
Salt to taste
½cupwater
Instructions
Rinse chickpea a couple of times in a colander under cold water.
Add it to a big pot with 2 cups of water.
Bring it to a rolling boil and let it boil for good 5 minutes. Switch off the flame, cover it with lid, and let it soak for 8 hours.
Chole/ chickpeas will double its size after 8 hours.
Discard the water and add chickpeas to an Instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker.
Add in freshwater just to the level of chickpea.
Add salt, bay leaf, and stir.
Close the Instant Pot with the lid with a black knob on SEALING POSITION.
Press manual 14 minutes High pressure.
Once the pot beeps, let it cool down naturally. (NPR)
When the silver pin drops down, gently open the lid.
Carefully smash a chickpea with a spoon or between your finger to check it’s done.
Add in the amla powder and give it a stir.
Meanwhile, prepare the gravy masala for the chole.
In a pan heat 1.5 tablespoon ghee.
Once warm add a pinch of hing.
On a low heat, add in dry coconut, almond meal, and cook for 30 seconds.
Now add all the masalas except kasoori methi.
Follow it immediately with a half a cup of water.
Cook the masala on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
The masala should be thick because the pot of chole will already have some water.
Add couple spoons more water if needed.
Once the masala is cooked add that to the pot and stir well.
Smash few chickpeas with the back of the spoon.
Press saute, on the Instant Pot, and cook the chole covered for 5-6 minutes.
Stir occasionally in between.
Give it a taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Add in kasoori methi and cancel saute mode.
Chole will thicken considerably as it cools.
You may add more water if the chole is thick.
At this point, the chole will be light brown.
Chole will get the deep brown color as it cools say in 2-3 hours.
Notes
No soak method
Recipe -1 cup chickpea and 3 cups waterMethod
Rinse chickpea a couple of times with water. Add it to the instant pot with 3 cups of freshwater.
Put on the lid, black knob on sealing position.
Press Manual High Pressure for 35 minutes. Once the IP beeps, let the pressure come down naturally.
Smash chickpeas carefully with the spoon to see if it is done. If it is soft and smashes easily.
You may be left with some extra water. Just reserve and use as needed to make gravy for this curry or maybe later as a stock for some other recipe.
Go ahead with the recipe as mentioned i.e add amla powder to the cooked chickpea.
Spice levelThe spice level of this curry is 8 on 10, 10 being hot. Always adjust the spices to your taste.
The lovely dark brown color Chole
Instead of using tea bags, I have added amla powder to the chickpea after it was boiled.Amla imparts a stunning dark brown color to the chole which looks like authentic Punjabi black chole.
Useful tips to make the best chole
Cook chole in a pressure cooker until soft.
I highly recommend using amla powder for the dark brown chole color.
Always make chole a few hours before serving so that the masala marinates well and the flavor deepens.
If you are Jain, make sure the garam masala or chole masala you are using doesn't have onion and garlic powder.
Possible Substitutes to use
Swap amla powder with 1.5 tablespoons of tamarind paste.
Almond flour and coconut create an amazing masala, you can use ground peanuts if almond flour is unavailable. If you do not consume nuts swap with an equal amount of roasted besan.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice works well in place of amchoor powder.
If you are not following Jain festivities then add 2 finely chopped green chilies,
Fresh ginger in place of dried one and top it with a fistful of fresh cilantro.