Delhi Style Chole - Chickpeas Curry is a delectable recipe made in a deep dish by adding boiled chickpeas with lots of spices in a masala. This is the same as Amritsari Chole but in Delhi style.

There are many varieties like Pindi Chole, Amritsari Chole, Restaurant Style, Delhi style, and many more. They are pretty much the same with some variations. Being a Punjabi, this dish has always been on top of my list. This is a favorite weekend brunch with naan or kulcha. This chickpeas curry goes great with some Garlic Naan.

You can enjoy this amazingly tasty dish with Kulcha, Bhature, Poori, Bread, or even add it in some Chaats. This is one recipe which is served as a street-food as well as the main course meal in all the restaurants. And it is also one of the main dishes served at weddings in North India. It is relished by everyone.

CHICKPEAS CURRY INGREDIENTS

1. Amla/Gooseberry: Adding gooseberry gives a nice tart flavor to the overall recipe. When gooseberry is added to chickpeas with tea leaves, it gives a nice brown color.

2. Black Tea Leaves: These are added only to give brownish color to the chickpeas. Chole is supposed to be dark brown in color, adding tea leaves helps in bringing that authentic chole color to the recipe.

3. Chickpeas: Of course for making this recipe, Chickpea is the main ingredient. The best flavor comes when chickpeas are perfectly boiled. Some add baking soda while boiling to get extremely soft chickpeas. But it's best to soak them in water for 6-8 hours and then boil it.

4. Whole Spices: Adding whole spices when boiling chickpeas gives a nice extra layer of flavoring to the dish. I usually add Black Cardamoms, Cinnamon, Black Peppercorns, Bay Leaf and Kashmiri Red Chilies.

5. Masala: This gives the texture to the recipe. It is basically onion-tomato masala with some Indian spices like Anardana Powder (Pomegranate Seeds), Kasuri Methi. Adding Anardana gives color and a sour taste to Chole, this is a secret ingredient used by Punjabis to make the recipe so special.

6. Ghee: To get authentic Delhi style taste, ghee is added to the recipe. Ghee elevates the taste of the recipe. I add Oil & Ghee to the dish but for a vegan option, you can eliminate Ghee.

7. Ginger: Complete the dish by adding julienned ginger at the end before serving. It gives a perfect taste to the recipe. Also, put some flavored onion on the side.

WHAT MAKES DELHI-STYLE CHOLE SO SPECIAL

With making Kidney Beans or Black Chickpeas or Pinto Beans, you just add boiled beans in masala with some spices. But with Chickpeas (Chole) you add so many different flavoring to give it a unique flavor altogether. I make Chole or safed chane in 3 different levels.

First Level: I boil chickpeas (chole/safed chane) with some whole spices with Amla and tea leaves.

Second Level: I make masala with some spices.

The Third Level: Mixing and stirring the chickpeas at low heat and later garnish with some julienned Ginger.

Garam Masala

I use my Homemade Garam Masala in the recipe, but if you don't have freshly made Garam Masala then I recommend making one. Adding fresh masala makes a big difference in the taste. Mentioned below is a smaller quantity for Garam Masala. For that, you just need a spice grinder and some whole spices.

1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
¼ teaspoon Green Cardamons
1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
¼ teaspoon Black Cardamons
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon Cloves

Toast all the spices in a pan on the stove and grind it finely using a spice grinder. Or you can also grind using a mortar pestle.

HOW TO COOK CHICKPEAS FOR CHOLE KULCHE

I prefer to cook chickpeas on my own rather than using canned chickpeas. I always have dry chickpeas at home, so it is cost-effective for me plus free of any preservatives. First, I soak dried chickpeas overnight in at least 2 qt of water. Then drain out the water and cook the chickpeas by adding them in an Instant Pot or any other pressure cooker with a quart of water and some salt.

If you don’t want to soak them overnight, then add chickpeas in boiling water for 1 hour. Then add them with a quart of water in an instant pot and pressure cook for 30 minutes.

OTHER RECIPES

Delhi Style Chole - Chickpeas Curry

Gari

Amritsari Chole – Chickpeas Curry is delectable recipe made in a deep dish by adding boiled chickpeas with lots of spices in a masala.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Indian

Servings people

Calories 48 kcal

Equipment

Instant Pot

Immersion Blender

Ingredients

Boiling:

Masala

½ Onion chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
2 tablespoon Oil + Ghee
1 Bay Leaf
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
2 tablespoon Garam Masala Powder
Red Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
½ teaspoon Caraway Seeds Shahi Jeera
½ teaspoon Anardana Seeds Dried Pomegranate Seeds
½ tablespoon Kasuri Methi
Salt

For Serving

½ Onion sliced
1 ½ inch Ginger julienned
2 tablespoon Mixed Pickle achaar or Green Chutney - optional

Instructions

HOW TO MAKE CHOLE IN INSTANT POT

Wrap Black Cardamoms, Cinnamon, Tea Leaves, Amla, Cloves, Kashmiri Red Chili & Black Peppercorns in a muslin cloth and tie a knot.
Press Saute in Instant Pot and add oil & ghee to it. When the oil is hot, add Bay Leaf and let it fry for 1-2 minutes, and then add onions.
When onions start to change color, add tomatoes and let it cook for 3-5 minutes.
When the tomatoes turn mushy, add Ginger- Garlic Paste and cook for 1 minute. Now add all the spices (Coriander Powder, Garam Masala Powder, Red Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Caraway Seeds, Anaardana Powder) and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Cancel Saute and de-glaze the pot. Add water and salt to the pot and stir. Add the muslin cloth bundle in the pot and sprinkle Kasuri Methi over the Chickpeas.
Close the lid, at the vent in the sealing position pressure cook using Bean setting for 30 minutes.
Let pressure release naturally using NPR. When the valve goes down, open the lid. Give it one last stir so that everything gets combined.
For Serving:
Mix Onions with some Achaar/Pickle or with Green Chutney and serve them as a salad with the chickpeas. Add julienned Ginger over Chickpeas and enjoy your delicious Chole with some Kulchas/Bhatura/Poori.

STOVE- TOP COOKING

Wrap Black Cardamoms, Cinnamon, Tea Leaves, Amla, Cloves, Kashmiri Red Chili & Black Peppercorns in a muslin cloth and tie a knot.
Take a pressure cooker and add Chickpeas with Salt, Water, Ginger- Garlic Paste, and the muslin cloth bundle. Close the lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles and then medium-low heat for 20 minutes. When the pressure is released, open the lid and set it aside.
Take a Wok/Kadai or any deep-dish and put it at medium- heat. Add oil & ghee to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add Bay Leaf and fry for 1 minute.
Add chopped onion and fry for 2-3 minutes. Once they start to change color, add chopped tomatoes. When they turn mushy, add all the spices (Coriander Powder, Garam Masala Powder, Red Chili Powder, Cumin Powder, Caraway Seeds, Anaardana Powder) and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Once the masala is done, add Kasuri methi and let it cook for 1 minute. Transfer the boiled Chickpeas in the pan and mix it with the masala. Let it boil till you get the desired consistency.
For Serving:
Mix Onions with some Achaar/ Pickle or with the Green Chutney. Serve these onions as a salad with the chickpeas. Add julienned Ginger over Chickpeas and enjoy them with some Kulchas/Bhatura/ Poori.

Nutrition Facts

Delhi Style Chole - Chickpeas Curry

Serving Size

Amount per Serving

Calories

Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

Sodium

302

Potassium

413

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

240

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

I usually soak Chickpeas for 6- 8 hours or overnight. If you don't have that much time you can add them in the Instant Pot and boil for 40 minutes using bean setting with a pinch of Baking Soda.
You can also use canned Chickpeas to enjoy this recipe - just wash it well and pressure cook in an Instant pot for 5 minutes.

GARAM MASALA

1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
¼ teaspoon Green Cardamons
1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
¼ teaspoon Black Cardamons
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon Cloves

Toast all the spices in a pan and grind it finely using a spice grinder. Or you can also grind them using a mortar pestle.

I like Chickpeas dry with Kulcha so I cook for 15- 20 minutes before serving. But if you like curry, boil them for 3-4 minutes before serving.

I always serve Chickpeas with onion on the side with either Pickle or Green Chutney. It tastes even better when you add some lemon juice on Chole.

For Vegan option, don't add Ghee while making Chickpeas Curry and instead use Oil as needed.
I have made this recipe using my Instant Pot 6 QT Duo60 7-in-1 Multi Cooker

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Keyword delhi-styel chole, chickcpeas curry, chole kulche

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Comments

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

DELHI-STYLE CHOLE/ CHICKPEAS CURRY

CHICKPEAS CURRY INGREDIENTS

WHAT MAKES DELHI-STYLE CHOLE SO SPECIAL

Garam Masala