• Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 250 g Pindi chana (Small size chana)
• 3 Tomatoes (Medium size)
• 2 Onion (Medium size)
• 2 Green chili
• 1 inch Ginger
• 2 tbsp Chole masala
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Heeng (asafoetida) (Use generous amount of heeng)
• 1 tsp Pomegranate seeds / Mango powder
• 1 tsp Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leave)
• 1 tbsp Ginger & Garlic paste
• 1 Black cardamom
• 3-4 Cloves
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• 1-2 Bay leaves
• 2 tsp Salt (or as per taste)
• 1/2 cup Mustard oil
• 1 tbsp Pure ghee
• 2 cup Water
• 2 tsp Tea leaves
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Instructions

1. Wash properly and soak chole in water for 12 hours.
2. Grind tomato into puree and grind onion into fine paste. Slit chilies from the center and chop ginger into juliennes.
3. Place a cooker on medium flame and heat oil. Add onion paste and fry till it leaves oil. While stirring add the whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon , bay leaves and cloves). Once the oils start leaving oil add ginger-garlic paste and stir it for one more minute.
4. Now add tomato puree stir it for a while and add salt. Fry the tomato puree till it starts leaving the oil. Now it's time to add our mix powder spices (chole masala, turmeric, coriander powder and pomegranate seeds).
5. Mix well all the spices properly and stir it for 2-3 minutes, add some water if the masala is sticking to the base.
6. Now, the most magical step that will enhance the taste and flavor of chole by 100%. Boil 1 cup of water and when it starts boiling add two tsp of tea leaves, allow it to boil for a minute or two and then pour the tea water in the cooker passing through a sieve. Along with tea water add baking soda, mix properly everything and cover the cooker with the lid.
7. Cook till 6-7 whistles. Whistle depends upon the cooker-to cooker. Once the cooker releases the pressure, open the lid and add roasted kasuri methi, mix well.
8. Now the last step, tadka - the tempering: heat tadka pan and add pure ghee. Add lots of heeng, green chilies and ginger juliennes. Temper the tadka on the prepared chole.
9. Serve the pindi chana (chole) with kulche/ parantha/ jeera rice. Enjoy the restaurant style pindi chana.