Punjabi Chhole

I have been hit by the flu virus (thanks little human!) and so the onus of dinner-making has fallen fair and squarely on the husband. While he is very hands-on with the kid and most of the household chores in spite of being a pro-level procrastinator, cooking is something he avoids most days! It isn’t like he doesn’t enjoy cooking; he simply hates me standing behind his shoulder and grunting in disapproval every time I think he isn’t doing it right! Yes, I can be a bit of a control freak sometimes… but well, he has been known to add turmeric to white wine once when making some coq au vin and the results were NOT PALATABLE AT ALL!

Anyway, these days when he cooks, he either follows one of mine or our mums’ tried-and-tested recipes or runs them past me, so we get good food on the table, and this is exactly how he made a fab bowl of Amritsari Chhole  in 20 mins flat.  You might wonder why we cook and eat chickpeas so often…. we are choosing to eat include more vegan/vegetarian options these days, and this is one of the few vegan proteins we both relish – there’s kidney beans that I love and he doesn’t and there’s soybean that he absolutely adores and I refuse to cook… this one cooks up real quick and all of the items are always stocked in my pantry, so makes for a mid-week meal every now and then. So here it is:

Makes: 2-3 servings     Ready in: 20 mins (minus the soaking and boiling)

Calories: 350 kcals

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained ( or chickpeas soaked overnight in salt water and then boiled)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 finely chopped medium onion
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp amchur powder (optional)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup water
• 2 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tsp butter (optional)
• Chopped coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

Method

• Heat oil in a pan and temper it with the bay leaves and cumin seeds
• Add in the chopped onion and fry till translucent, then add in the ginger, garlic paste and tomato puree. Fry the mix till it forms a mush.
• Add in all the powder masala and salt and cook until the oil separates
• Add in the chick peas and mix well and cook for 2 mins, then add water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Let it cook for another 5 mins on low heat
• Add in the kasoori methi and butter and mix well – serve hot with a garnish of chopped coriander leaves

This dish tastes best with bhaturas and kulchas, but can be had with any kind of Indian flatbread or steamed rice. It freezes well too, so can be batch cooked and saved for a rainy day.

Give it a try and I will wait for your feedback.

Until next time,

Paulomi x