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Chole - Chick Peas cooked in Indian spices - super simple recipe

I cannot believe I haven’t put up my recipe for making chole. Since Nirmla (my husbands college friend), and Afreen asked for this recipe, I was looking up my blog, and I couldnt find it here! Sorry, my bad!

There are tons of recipes for chole/chana, I know. But this one works, and though it was given to me by Rudaba aunty, I have a secret ingredient, which makes it special every time.

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas (chole), or soak overnight and pressure cook with salt next day
whole spices: 1 big cardomom ( the brown colored one), 2 sticks cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cumin (akha jeera) seeds
spices: 1/2 tsp corriander (dhania) powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli (mirchi powder), 1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) powder and 1 tsp chole masala ( a blend of spices, especially to make chole)
1/2 tsp tomato paste,
1 handful or more fried onion,
2 tsp ginger garlic paste,
1 -2 green hot peppers for flavor (optional)
1 and half tbsp yogurt, (yes the secret ingredient, shhhhhh!)
oil and water for cooking

Method:

In a cooking pot, heat oil. Add the whole spices to it, and wait till it sizzles. Add the ginger garlic paste to this, and roast for a minute. Add the powdered spices (except the chole masala), and carefully roast it (again; be careful, dont burn the spices). Add the tomato paste and crushed fried onions to this, cook for sometime, add a little water if it starts to dry out or burn. Finally whisk the yogurt and add to this. When this is done, add the chick peas, hot peppers and the chole masala. Mix well. Add enough water, to get the right consistency, and cook till the chick peas are nice and tender. (Since I use a pressure cooker, I bring it to one whistle and it cooks quickly).

I love eating this with Puris or steam rice.

January 7th, 2008