This dish features a small, dark brown chickpea called kala chana dal . Generally, it is hard to find, stocked only by Indian or Middle Eastern grocery stores, so it’s a good idea to buy a few pounds at a time and keep it on hand for variety in your dal cooking. Chole , with its characteristic garam masala and mango-powder flavor, is both tart and hot—and a very popular dish throughout the Punjab in North India. The texture of the dish can be soupy, with whole beans or dry, with the beans absorbing the zesty sauce. Most often it is served with a puffy deep-fried bread called bhatura . This classic combination, chole-bhatura , is sold in street stalls and narrow-laned bazaars throughout Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. For contrast, crispy raw vegetable crudités are often served. For a traditional lunch or brunch, serve this dish with Bhatura and some of the decorative vegetable garnishes: radish roses, celery curls and cucumber, tomato or carrot flowers. To expand the menu, add a cool dish of Tart Cream and accompany with Pan-Fried Baby Eggplants Stuffed with Ground Almonds .
Dal soaking time: 8 hours or overnight
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2–3 hours or 1 hour in a pressure cooker
Serves: about 6
• 1¼ cups (235 g) whole kala chana beans or dried chickpeas
• 5½ cups (1.3 liters) water (4 cups/1 liter if pressure-cooked)
• 1 cassia or bay leaf
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml) ghee or a mixture of vegetable oil and unsalted butter
• 2-inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon (2 ml) cardamom seeds
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) minced seeded hot green chili (or as desired)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) turmeric
• 1½ teaspoons (7 ml) paprika
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground coriander
• ¼–½ teaspoon (1–2 ml) cayenne pepper
• ¼–½ teaspoon (1–2 ml) yellow asafetida powder ( hing) *
• 1 large firm ripe tomato, diced
• 1–1½ teaspoons (5–7 ml) salt
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) amchoor powder or 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon or lime juice
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) coarsely chopped fresh coriander or minced fresh parsley
• 6 lemon or lime wedges or twists for garnishing (optional)
* This amount applies only to yellow Cobra brand. Reduce any other asafetida by three-fourths .
1. Sort through the beans and remove any dead kernels or foreign matter. Then rinse and drain. Place the beans in a bowl, add 5½ cups (1.3 liters) of hot water and soak for at least 8 hours or overnight at room temperature.
2. Place the chickpeas and their soaking liquid in a heavy 3–4-quart/liter saucepan. Add the cassia or bay leaf and a dab of ghee or oil-butter mixture and bring to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and gently boil for 1½–3 hours or until the beans are butter-soft but not broken down. The cooking time varies according to the freshness of the beans. For pressure cooking, combine the ingredients in a 6-quart/liter pressure cooker, cover and cook under pressure for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the pressure drop by itself.
3. Drain the chickpeas, saving the liquid. Discard the cassia or bay leaf. Take out ⅓ cup (80 ml) of the soft beans and mash to a coarse paste.
4. To make fresh garam masala , pound the cinnamon stick into small bits in a stone mortar or with a rolling pin or kitchen mallet. Combine the cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves and cumin seeds in an electric coffee mill or stone mortar and grind to a powder.
5. Heat 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the ghee or oil-butter mixture in a heavy 2½–3-quart/liter nonstick saucepan over moderate to moderately high heat. When it is hot, stir in the ginger root and green chili and fry until browned. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle in the turmeric, paprika, ground coriander, cayenne and asafetida. Stir well. Place the pan over the heat and immediately drop in the tomato. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes or until the ghee or oil separates from the spices and tomato paste.
6. Stir in the salt, whole chickpeas, mashed chickpeas, ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking water and the amchoor powder or lemon or lime juice. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce. Sprinkle the finished dish with the garam masala powder. Stir and sprinkle on the remaining ghee or oil and the chopped herb. Garnish, if desired, with lemon or lime wedges or twists.
