Masala Chole: 20-Min Recipe

Chickpeas, darkened with tea leaves and spiced up with cinnamon, bay leaves, and other spices, is a fine accompaniment to puris, bhature, rotis or even rice, or can be had on its own like a light chaat. Manju Pant offers a simple, home-style recipe for the dish.

Ingredients

• 500 gm kabuli chana or chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 1 tbsp black tea leaves, tied in a muslin cloth
• Pinch hing or asafoetida
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• 4 to 5 tej patta or bay leaves

Ingredients, continued

• 1-inch stick dalchini or cinnamon 
• 3-4 laung or cloves
• 2 tbsp chole masala
• Salt to taste, about 1½ tsp

Ingredients, continued

• Handful fresh green dhaniya or coriander or cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish
• 1-2 onion, finely chopped, for garnish
• 1-2 tomato, finely chopped for garnish tomato
• 1-2 green chilly, finely chopped, for garnish
• 1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped, for garnish
• Few lemon wedges, optional, for serving

Method

• Drain the soaked kabuli chana and transfer to a pressure cooker.
  Add the tea leaves potli, salt and enough water to cover the chana.
  Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 whistles until tender.
  Keep aside. 

Method, continued

• Heat oil in a kadhai over medium heat and add the jeera and let it splutter.
  Then add the hing, bay leaves, dalchini, cloves.
  Add the boiled kabuli chana and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  Add the chole masala and mix well.

Method, continued

• Cover and let simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
  Take off heat and garnish with freshly chopped onion, tomato, green chilli, coriander leaves, ginger.
• Serve hot with the green chutney and the lemon wedges on the side.

Tips
The tea leaves give the chole a dark colour.
Instead of a tea leaves potli, you can also add a glass a black tea. Boil a glass of water with a tbsp of black tea leaves in a separate pan, strain and add the black tea to the pressure cooker with the kabuli chana and salt. Adjust water accordingly.
Make your own mint chutney. Use Lahu Kapduskar's recipe for Green Mint Chutney.