Chole Recipe: Easy Punjabi Chole Masala (Chickpeas Curry) Recipe

Get ready to experience the rich and aromatic flavors of Chole with my easy-to-follow recipe. In just three simple steps, you’ll be able to create a delicious and authentic Indian dish that will tantalize your taste buds. First, I’ll guide you through boiling the chickpeas to perfection using the Instant Pot’s pressure cooking function. Then, I’ll show you how to prepare a flavorful masala by blending a combination of spices and aromatics. Finally, I’ll bring it all together by combining the cooked chickpeas with the prepared masala, resulting in a delectable and hearty Chole recipe. Get ready to enjoy this classic dish that pairs perfectly with naan bread or rice and transports you to the streets of India.

In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through the process of creating this mouthwatering Chole Recipe. First, we’ll start by boiling the chickpeas to perfection, infusing them with flavors of black tea, bay leaf, and a dash of salt. Meanwhile, we’ll prepare the aromatic masala blend, combining an array of spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric, and more, to create a symphony of flavors. Then, we’ll sauté a tantalizing tomato-onion paste until it’s rich, thick, and irresistibly fragrant. Finally, we’ll marry the boiled chickpeas with this luscious masala, letting them simmer together to perfection, ready to be garnished with fresh cilantro and a hint of lemon juice.

Get ready to tantalize your taste buds and impress your loved ones with this authentic Punjabi Chole recipe. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a novice in the kitchen, this dish is sure to win hearts and leave everyone craving for more. So, gather your ingredients, roll up your sleeves, and let’s dive into the magical world of Punjabi cuisine together!

What is Punjabi Chole?

Chole is a chickpea (garbanzo beans) based dish in a spicy onion-tomato gravy. It is a typical food from the state of Punjab in India. Some people use the terms Punjabi Chole and Chana Masala interchangeably but I see them as being two distinct dishes with different looks and tastes. Chana Masala has a red gravy with more tomatoes and milder spices. Chole on the other hand has an almost black gravy and is heavier on the spices. I have 2 important steps to make the Punjabi Chole gravy almost black in color. Our family definitely prefers Punjabi Chole over Chana Masala. 

Ingredients used to make this Chole recipe

To boil the chole (chickpeas)

• 1 cup chole (dried chickpeas)
• 1 black tea bag
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt

Dry Masala Mix

• 1 Teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon dry mango powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
• ½ teaspoon rock salt (sanchal)
• ½ teaspoon anardana powder (optional)

Tomato-Onion mix

• ½ of medium yellow onion
• 1 large Roma Tomato
• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 2 small green chilis (or according to heat tolerance level)

Other ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Is it important to soak the chole (chickpeas) overnight for this Chole recipe?

Yes, I prefer to soak the chole (chickpeas) overnight for 7-8 hours. It is first washed and then soaked in 3 times the amount of liquid.  You will see the next morning that the beans have significantly expanded in size and are nice and plump.  There are two reasons to do this- first, it reduces the cooking time of the beans significantly and they cook more evenly.  I also feel the soaked beans are easier to digest.  Be sure to remove the water that the beans have soaked in and use fresh water when boiling them. 

But don’t worry if you have forgotten to soak the chickpeas overnight and don’t have 7-8 hours of time.  Soak the beans in boiling water and cover the container with a plate for 3 hours.  It has the same effect as soaking the beans overnight. 

Cooking methods for this Chole recipe

Instant Pot is my preferred way of cooking beans these days. It is so much quicker and also hands-off. 

Method 1

You will notice in the recipe card below that this is a 2-pan method of cooking chole. Let me explain this cooking method.

It means, that while the chole is being boiled/cooked in the Instant Pot, we are going to prepare the gravy ingredients and cook it separately on the stovetop.  I know it uses 2 pans but we are saving a lot of time here.  The chole is going to take almost 50 minutes (35 mins of cooking time + coming up to pressure + venting time) to cook in the Instant Pot.  While the Instant Pot is cooking the chickpeas, we can prepare the gravy ingredients and cook the masala.  That is time saved in my opinion!

Method 2

If you are not a fan of the 2 pan method, you can cook the masala and the tomato-onion gravy on the Saute function of the Instant Pot and then add the soaked chickpeas, tea bag, water, and salt and follow the steps to boil the chickpeas.  For this method, you will increase the cooking time to 40 minutes instead of 35 minutes on the recipe card.  Boiling the chickpeas with acidic ingredients like tomato and aamchoor powder always takes a little bit longer. 

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Chole Recipe

Boiling the Chole (chickpeas)

1. Wash the chickpeas and soak them in 3 cups of water overnight or for at least 7-8 hours.
2. When ready to boil the chickpeas, drain the soaking liquid and add the chickpeas to the Instant Pot insert.
3. Add 1 black tea bag, bay leaf, salt, and 1 ½ cups water to the chickpeas.
4. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and secure the pressure valve to sealing.
5. Manual cook it for 35 minutes on High pressure.
6. When the cooking process is complete and the Instant Pot beeps, carefully move the pressure valve to vent and Quick Release the pressure.

While the chole (chickpeas) are boiling, prepare the masala

Mix all the dry masala mix ingredients in a bowl and set it aside. Blend all the ingredients under “to blend into paste” and set it aside.

1. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a pan.
2. Once it heats up add the dry masala mix ingredients to the hot oil and cook on low-medium flame for 1-2 minutes or until it’s fragrant and changes color slightly.
3. Be sure not to burn the masalas. Once cooked add the wet blended tomato-onion paste to the oil and cook stirring occasionally on medium flame.
4. Cook for 5-7 minutes till it’s cooked and the oil separates slightly.
5. Turn off the flame and set aside.

Add the gravy to the boiled chole (chickpeas)

1. Once the chickpeas are cooked and you have opened the Instant Pot lid, discard the tea bag.
2. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode.
3. Add the prepared masala to the cooked chole.
4. Save some of the chopped cilantro for garnish and add the rest to the chole.
5. Give it a good stir for everything to mix and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.
6. At this point taste and add any seasonings as required.
7. Add lemon juice to taste.
8. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve.

Recipe tips (key steps) to make Punjabi Chole

Using tea water to boil the Chole (chickpeas)

One of the distinct features of Chole is its almost black color.  To achieve that we are using black tea bags in the boiling process. Using a tea bag does not impart tea flavor to the final dish but it nicely colors every bean of the chickpeas.  If you do not have tea bags at home but have loose tea, you can easily boil 1 teaspoon of tea with the required amount of water, strain it, and use the tea water to boil the chickpeas. 

Sautéing the masalas in hot oil

We are not using store-bought Chole masala in this recipe but are using all the regular masalas that are typically available in all Indian households. All the dry masalas are mixed together and sautéed in hot oil before adding the tomato/onion gravy mix.  This brings out the flavors of the spices and also helps give the final gravy a nice deep color. 

1. Mix of dry spices
2. Dry spices cooked in oil
3. Pureed tomato, onion and ginger
4. Cooked spices and tomato puree

Making the Chole recipe in bulk

For a 6 qt Instant Pot, you can easily double or triple this recipe and make it in bulk. If you use a larger 8 qt Instant Pot, you can even make a larger quantity without much additional effort.

Serving Chole recipe

Chole is a very versatile dish and can be served in a number of different ways:

• For a typical North Indian dinner, I like to serve it with Parathas, Naan, Rotis, or Kulcha with an accompaniment of sliced red onions and vegetable raita. If you are not in the mood to make traditional Indian bread at home, Trader Joe’s has really good plain and garlic Naan in their freezer section. 
• Chole goes really well with basmati rice as well. 

FAQs: Chole recipe

More Instant Pot recipes to try

Recipe card – Chole recipe