Traditional Amritsari Chole Recipe | Punjabi Chole Masala

Traditional Amritsari Chole is an authentic recipe which gives the Punjabi chole a rich dark colour and taste delicious from the freshly made amritsari chole masala . When you travel to Amritsar, regions around Punjab, Delhi and surroundings, this is a popular and most common staple which gets served. Walk into any dhaba on highway, you will find this delicious Amritsari Chole served along with freshly made Kulcha or Naan. Course : Dinner Ingridients : 1 cup Kabuli Chana (White Chickpeas) , soaked overnight (8 hours) 1 Tea bags 3 tablespoons Ghee 1 Onion , finely chopped 1 Green Chilli , finely chopped 2 inch Ginger , finely chopped 1 Tomato , finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1 tablespoon Amchur (Dry Mango Powder) 1 teaspoon Black Salt (Kala Namak) Salt , to taste Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , as required, for garnishing Amritsari Chole Masala Powder 1 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 5 Cloves (Laung) 1 Brown cardamom (Badi Elaichi) 1/4 teaspoon Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds) 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 2 tablespoons Coriander (Dhania) Seeds 1 tablespoon Dried Anardana Seeds (Pomegranate Seeds Dried) 5 Dry Red Chillies 1 teaspoon Whole Black Pepper Corns Instructions To begin with, the Amritsari Chole Recipe, first prep all the ingredients and keep them ready. Ensure the Kabuli Chana/ Chickpeas was soaked for 8 hours or overnight in water. Add the soaked chana into the pressure cooker, add a teaspoon of salt and the tea bag. Ensure the water level is at least 2 inches above the level. of chana.Note: The addition of tea bag while cooking the chana, help give the Amritsari chole a lovely deep colour. If you don't have tea bags, then you can make a small potli and add dark tea leaves into it and tiet it with a cotton thread and add it to the pressure cookerPressure cook the chickpeas/ kabuli chana for about 35 to 40 minutes on medium heat. There will be multiple rounds of whistles from the pressure cooker. After the first 15 minutes, turn the heat to low and continue pressure cook for the remaining time.Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally. In the meanwhile,we will make the Amritsari Chole Masala Powder.Preheat a skillet over medium heat; add all the spices and ingredients mentioned in the Chole Masala Powder section - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds, cinnamon, cloves, badi elaichi,red chillies, anardana seeds and black pepper corns. Roast all of them on medium high heat for about 5 minutes until you get a roasted aroma and the spices start getting a roasted colour. Ensure you keep stirring it while they are getting roasted - so they get roasted eventy from all sides.Once done, turn off the heat and allow it to cool a bit. Once cooled, add the roasted chole masala spices into a small jar of the mixer grinder and blend to make smooth powder.Keep the Amritsari chole masala powder aside.Final step is to bring all the masala together.Add 2 tablespoons of ghee to a preheated pan over medium heat; add the onion, ginger and saute until the onion softens.Once the onion softens, add the dry Amritsari chole masala, chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder and kala namak and saute the tomatoes until it becomes mushy and soft. Once the tomatoes are soft. Add the cooked kabuli chana/ chickpeas into the chole masala. Stir well to combine.Cover the pan and simmer the Amritsari Chole Masala for a good 15 minutes.After 15 minutes of simmering, keep the pan uncovered and cook it open until the Amritsari chole masala has a thick gravy consistency. Mash a few chana a little to make it a thick gravy if required. Check the salt at this stage and add more if required. Once done, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and give it a brisk boil for a minute and turn off the heat. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.Serve the Amritsari Chole along with Bhatura, Puri, or Kulcha and pair it along with lacha pyaz, boondi raita and some green chillies by the side for a special weekend lunch.