Chikkar Chole

Ingredients

• 1.25 cup Dried chickpeas (kabuli chana) (Soak overnight or for 8 hours, then drain and rinse)
• 1 Potato (Medium; halve before pressure cooking)
• 1 Bay leaf
• Cooking soda (1 pinch; optional, added while pressure cooking to soften the chickpeas)
• Water (Enough to cover the chickpeas during pressure cooking, plus a splash for blending)
• 0.333 cup Curd
• 2 Onion (Medium onions, finely chopped)
• 15 g Ginger (Finely chopped, plus additional ginger for julienne garnish)
• 4 Green chilies (2 chopped for the gravy and 2 slit for the tadka)
• 1.5 tbsp Mustard oil
• 1 tbsp Ghee (For the finishing tadka)
• 0.5 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Red chili powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tbsp Chana masala
• 1 tsp Kasuri methi (For the tadka)
• Hing (asafoetida) (1 pinch; for the tadka)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Salt (To taste; add some while pressure cooking and adjust the finished gravy)
• Coriander leaves (To finish and garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   Soak the dried chickpeas in plenty of water overnight, or for about 8 hours. Drain them and rinse well.

2. 2

   Place the soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with the halved potato, bay leaf, a pinch of cooking soda if using, salt, and enough water to cover. Pressure cook on high for about 4–5 whistles, then simmer for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

3. 3

   Open the cooker and remove the bay leaf. Transfer the cooked potato, 1 tablespoon of the cooked chickpeas, the curd, and a splash of water to a mixer or blender. Blend until thick and completely smooth.

4. 4

   Heat the mustard oil in a large pan until smoking hot.

5. 5

   Add the finely chopped onion, chopped ginger, and two chopped green chilies to the hot oil. Cook until the onion turns golden.

6. 6

   Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and chana masala. Mix thoroughly so the spices coat the onion mixture.

7. 7

   Pour in the blended potato-and-curd mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the oil begins to separate from the gravy and the raw flavors have disappeared.

8. 8

   Add the remaining cooked chickpeas along with all of their cooking liquid. Season with salt and sugar, then simmer over low heat for a few minutes until the chickpeas and gravy become thick and mashy—the characteristic chikkar texture.

9. 9

   For the tadka, heat the ghee. Add the two slit green chilies, ginger juliennes, kasuri methi, and a pinch of hing. Let the aromatics crackle briefly in the hot ghee.

10. 10

    Pour the hot tadka over the chickpeas. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve.

Notes

The recipe makes four servings of approximately 280 g each and lists about 370 kcal, 14 g protein, 52 g carbohydrates, and 13 g fat per serving. The cooking soda is optional. Keep the chickpea cooking liquid for the gravy; it helps produce the thick, mashy consistency.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegetarian
• South Asian
• Punjabi
• Lahori
• pressure-cooked
• one-pot
• comfort food