Chole Pindi Recipe (Spicy Chickpea Curry)

Chole Pindi Recipe is a very traditional recipe from the North India made from chickpeas that are spicy and tangy packed with flavors from ginger and lemon. The Pindi Chola can with made from either regular white chickpeas or the dark brown variety called the desi chana. Either way, the Pindi Chole is the dry form the Chana Masala and makes a perfect weekend lunch recipes or even as a main course for parties. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 1 cup Kala Chana (Brown Chickpeas) , soaked overnight 2 Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds 1 Onion , finely chopped 1 Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 1 inch Ginger , finely chopped and more for garnish 2 Green Chillies , slit 1/2 cup Homemade tomato puree 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1 teaspoon Anardana Powder (Pomegranate Seed Powder) 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania) 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon Amchur (Dry Mango Powder) , (or juice from one lemon) 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder Oil , for cooking or ghee Salt , to taste Ingredients to garnish 1 inch Ginger , thinly sliced Lemon , wedges to serve Instructions To begin making the Chole Pindi Recipe, we will first cook the soaked Kala chana chola (chickpeas) in the pressure cooker. Click to see the video recipe of how to cook legumes like chickpeas in a pressure cooker.Make sure to cook the chola with a little salt. After it is cooked, when you place it between your fingers, it should mash easily. That's when you know you have the perfect texture of the cooked chola.The next step is to proceed to make the masala for the Pindi Chola. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.Add the onion, ginger, green chillies, tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, amchur powder, chilli powder, cinnamon stick and cardamom.Stir fry the spices along with the tomatoes, until the onions and tomatoes soften. Once the onions and tomatoes, soften, add the cooked Kala Chana and give it a good stir. Cover the pan, and simmer the Pindi Chole for about 5 minutes so the chola absorbs all the masalas and gets good flavors and taste. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped coriander leaves.Transfer the Pindi Chole to a serving bowl, garnish with thinly sliced ginger and a squeeze of lemon.Serve the Chole Pindi Recipe along with Phulka for an exciting Lunch meal.