Pindi Chole

Pindi Chole is a very delicious healthy protein packed awesome dish from the kitchen of Punjab. Pindi chole the name derived from the town called Rawalpindi which is now in Pakistan but once a part of undivided India. It’s a very popular dish cherished with naan or kulcha and simple onion salad. To make it more healthy I added soy minced and if you all want a nonveg version you can use lamb or goat minced. Then it will turn to masala keema chole. Go with this recipe or add on with your creativity but don’t forget to share your experience with me. Love to know and if you make this recipe and like it. You just go to Sutapa’s Indian Cusine FB fan page like it and drop the picture of your make in the message box. I would love to share it with my other friends. So see you there.

Preparation time  : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 40 minutes
Serves :

Ingredients:
2 cup Chickpeas (kabuli chana)
¼ cup finely minced soya chunks ( boiled)
1 tbsp Tea leaves 
1 bay leaves 
2 tbsp Coriander powder 
2tbsp Cumin powder 
2 tsp red chilli powder 
½ tsp turmeric powder 
2 tbsp cumin seeds 
1 tbsp Pomegranate seeds (anardana) 
Green chillies,slit 4-6
2  tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup tomato puree
1 tbsp amchur ( dry mango ) powder 
1 tsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves ) 
1 tsp garam masala powder 
1 tbsp finely julienned ginger 
1 tbsp ghee
 ½  cup Oil  
Salt to taste
chopped  coriander for garnish

Methods of Cooking 

Soak the chickpeas overnight in 6 cups of water. Now drain the chickpeas. Now tie the tea leaves in a muslin cloth. Now in a pressure cooker add 6 to 8 cups of water, chickpeas and tied tea leaves. Pressure cook it until the chole is cooked and soft. Drain the chole aside and keep the stock in another bowl for further use. Dry roast cumin seed and anardana till dark and make a fine powder. Now in a bowl mix all the dry spice powder. Mix well and keep aside. In a pan heat oil and ghee add bay leaves and kasoori methi and green chilly . Then add the ginger garlic paste. Stir and fry it then add all the dry spices and tomato puree and salt. Stir fry the masala till oil comes out . Add little chickpeas stock if the masala get too dry then add the cooked chickpeas and minced soya (squeeze the soya chunks well so that no water is left). Mix well and stir fry with the masala for a minute. Add 11/2 cup of the chickpea stock. Let it come to boil. When the gravy gets thick add garam masala and ginger juliennes. Put off the flame. Cover and give 5 to 6 minutes standing time. Garnish with chopped coriander and lemon wedge and thinly sliced pairing with naan or kulcha.

Happy Cooking!