Recipe: Amritsari Pindi Chole

One of the most popular North Indian vegetarian curry made with boiled chickpeas and authentic aromatic spices which gives it a rich dark colour and taste deliciousfrom the fresh ingredients like ginger, garlic, whole spices etc.

Hebbars Kitchen

1. Soak 1 cup chickpeas in enough water overnight.

2. Add soaked chickpeas in a deep bottomed pan along with enough water to boil the chickpeas.

3. Make a potli of 1 tbsp tea leaves, 2 dry red chillies, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom and 2 bay leaves in a muslin cloth. add this potli to the pan of boiling chickpeas.

4. Once cooked, discard the potli. reserve the boiled chickpea along with its stock.

5. In a kadhai, heat 3 tbsp ghee and 2 tbsp mustard oil on high flame.

6. Add 1 black cardamom, 2 dry red chillies, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them splutter.

7. Add 1 inch ginger and 4-5 garlic cloves to a mortar pestle and crush coarsely. add the coarsely ground ginger garlic and 2 medium size finely chopped onions and cook till they turn brown.

8. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1 tsp red chilli powder, saute for 2-3 minutes.

9. Add salt to taste and mix well. add 2 medium size chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn soft and mushy.

10. Add 3 slit green chillies and saute for a minute.

11. Now add the cooked chickpeas and cook along with the masala for 5-6 minutes.

12. Mix in 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1 tsp caraway seeds / shahi jeera and 1 tbsp crushed pomegranate seeds / pomegranate powder / anardana powder, mix well.

13. Use the reserved stock to adjust consistency and stir. add in more water if required.

14. Cook on medium high flame until the gravy thickens. once cooked turn off the flame.

15. Garnish with julienned ginger, chopped coriander leaves and serve hot along with kulcha.