Punjabi Chana or Chole Bhature – Garbanzo Beans Curry

I ate my first Punjabi Chole Bhature only after I came to the US as it was a popular dish in most Indian Restaurants. Goan’s make something similar with split green peas and same deep-fried bread called Puri (bhatura).  My husband had been saying he wanted to eat some Chana Batura for a couple of weeks till we had friends visit who said they had just eaten some. Feeling bad for him I decided to make it the next day for Sunday Lunch. I did experiment with the Bhatura(puri/fried bread) using unbleached whole wheat flour. They turned out soft and puffy which surprised me since it was my first attempt at making them from scratch. The flip side, I did not keep a track of the measures. So I will have to share the bhatura (fried bread) recipe at a different time.

 

It is a perfect vegan recipe. You can also substitute the beans with chicken and make an incredible Chicken Curry. This recipe may get you overwhelmed by the sheer variations in spices but trust me it is worth every bit. My fussy 5-year-old enjoys it every time I make it. You can skip the chili and it still has lots of flavor.

Ps Note: This recipe is prefect for the home cook’s who likes to be in charge of quality control 🙂  I cooked my own beans using a pressure cooker. The reason I did that is because I came across an article that was published recently about cancer causing foods in America. Canned foods and excessive salt were named along with some more foods. If you are a new owner of a pressure cooker then you should add this recipe to your list.

Serving Size: 6-8

Boiling Chana/Garbanzo in a Pressure Cooker

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried chana/chickpea/garbanzo beans or 5 cans of low sodium garbanzo beans.
• 5-6 cups water
• 1 tbsp of salt

Directions:

Soak the chana/kabuli overnight. Drain the water. In a pressure cooker add the soaked chana, salt and enough water to cover the beans about 5-6 cups of water.

Pressure cook for 6-7 whistle about 35-45 minutes.

Take of heat and let stand till all the steam is released and it is safe to open the cooker.  (Please for your safety follow this step.) 

Whole Spices

• 2 bay leaf
• 5 green cardamom
• 8 whole cloves
• 8 black peppercorns
• 2″ cinnamon stick

Wet Paste

• 1 medium onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1″ ginger
• 1 green chili (optional)

Powder Spices

• 1 tbsp of coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp of dry mango/ amchoor powder
• 1 tsp of red chili powder
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala powder
• pinch of asafoedita
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Grind the wet ingredients with no water. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a separate pan. Add whole spices till the oil becomes fragrant.

Next add wet paste and saute till the oil starts to leave the side of the paste. About 10-13 minutes.

To this add the powder spices, saute for 1-2 minutes till it mixes well.

You either can transfer the spice paste to the pressure cooker, add water, season with salt and cook it for 2 more whistle.

OR If using the same pan add the water, salt and chana to the pan and cook for another 20 minutes on medium heat covered.

Serve with hot bhature or with rice and a side of onions marinated with pickle.

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