Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a singular and delicious mix of flavors. On this Easy Pot Punjabi chole, the beans cook within the Easy Pot within the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread.
Table of Contents
Chole, is a conventional chickpea curry from different northern states of India. Punjabi chole comes from the state of Punjab and has this distinct flavor profile within the sauce. Caramelized onion, whole spices, melt in your mouth chickpeas, this chole looks like home. When you make this restaurant style chickpea curry, you’ll make it time and again!
The sauce is made with a lot of caramelized onions, black cardamom, ginger, garlic, and a chole masala mix that you may find in an Indian food market or online. Should you can’t find chole masala, you need to use garam masala as an alternative.
The opposite feature of Punjabi chole is that you just cook the chickpeas until they’re super soft and melt in your mouth and the colour of the chickpeas and the sauce becomes almost the identical. That’s the reason the pressure cooking time is for much longer than what you’ll for chickpeas which might be nearly cooked for using in salads.
![close-up of Punjabi chole in a bowl](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-4970.jpg?ssl=1)
This can also be applicable for loads of other beans or legume-based Indian dishes. They are frequently cooked for an extended time, such as you’d cook a chili, in order that all the pieces caramelizes and becomes fragrant, and the beans almost begin to dissolve into the sauce, and the entire flavors of the sauce go into the beans. Should you follow my recipe exactly, that’s the feel that you just’ll get.
Should you prefer a firmer chickpea texture, you possibly can just cook it for about half the cooking time, and it would still work out well.
As an alternative of chickpeas, you need to use other beans on this recipe, since the sauce is where all the flavour is at!
Chole is the unique Chana masala. Chana masala is a less complicated chickpea curry and everybody has their very own version, not necessarily authentic indian. For the actual deal, do that chickpea curry and fall in love with chickpeas all once more.
![Punjabi chole in a bowl with rice, onion, and cilantro](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-4975.jpg?ssl=1)
Why You’ll Love Punjabi Chole
- melt-in-your-mouth chickpeas in a creamy, caramelized sauce thats full of Indian spices!
- easy to make within the Easy Pot or on the stovetop
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
More Vegan Easy Pot Curries
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![bowls of Punjabi chole on a slate table](https://www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-4985-150x150.jpg)
Print Recipe
Punjabi Chole (Punjabi Chickpea Curry)
Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a singular and delicious mix of flavors. On this Easy Pot Punjabi chole, the beans cook within the Easy Pot within the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread.
Servings: 4
Calories: 353kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) dried chickpeas washed and soaked overnight or for a minimum of five hours, then drained
For the Sauce
- 2-4 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 black cardamom pods opened barely
- 2 green cardamom pods opened barely
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 ½ cup (240 g) chopped or sliced onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste or use 8 cloves of garlic and 1” of ginger, minced
- 1 hot green chile reminiscent of serrano or Indian chili, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems reserve the leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1-1.5 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
- 2 teaspoons chole masala or use garam masala
- ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, kasuri methi
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2.5-3 cups water
To Add Later
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) non-dairy yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt or more if needed
- 1 large tomato chopped into ¾ inch cubes
- lime juice to taste
- chopped cilantro leaves and chopped onion for garnish
Instructions
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Soak the chickpeas, in case you haven’t already, then drain and put aside.
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Start the Easy Pot on sauté mode, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are very fragrant and alter color. Depending in your Easy Pot, this will take anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes,
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Once the cumin seeds are fragrant, add within the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, onion, and salt. Mix very well, and proceed to cook for 3 minutes
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Add within the ginger garlic paste, green chili, cilantro stems, and the entire ground spices, and blend very well.
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Proceed to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, adding splashes of water if the onion mixture is beginning to scorch.(Alternatively, add ground spices after the entire spices, mix in then add onion and cook 4 mins, then add ginger garlic, cilantro stems, chili and blend and cook one other 4 mins)
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Cancel sauté, and add within the drained chickpeas and three cups of water, and blend very well.
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Close the lid, and pressure cook on bean mode or regular mode on high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally for quarter-hour, then do a fast release and open the lid.
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Mix within the non-dairy yogurt and salt, then start the sauté mode and let the mixture come to a superb boil. Mash a few of the chickpeas on the side of the Easy Pot while that is boiling, and proceed to boil for an additional 2 to three minutes.
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Mix within the tomato, then taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, if needed, add a superb dash of the lime juice, as well, then cancel the sauté and let the mixture sit for an additional jiffy for the flavors to meld more.
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Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped onion, and a few lime juice. Serve with flatbread, rice, or naan.
Notes
Variation: add ¼ teaspoon loose tea with the chickpeas.
This recipe is of course gluten-free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free, so long as you utilize a nut-free and soy-free non-dairy yogurt.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Punjabi Chole (Punjabi Chickpea Curry)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 353
Calories from Fat 63
% Each day Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 519mg23%
Potassium 884mg25%
Carbohydrates 57g19%
Fiber 16g67%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 16g32%
Vitamin A 509IU10%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 141mg14%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Each day Values are based on a 2000 calorie weight loss program.
![chickpeas, spices, and other chole ingredients in bowls on the kitchen counter](https://i1.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2302.jpg?ssl=1)
Ingredients and Substitutions
- dried chickpeas – Make sure to soak your chickpeas for a minimum of 5 hours, but overnight is even higher.
- oil – To toast the spices and sauté the onion.
- whole spices – Your first layer of flavor comes from toasted cumin seeds, bay leaves, black and green cardamom, and whole cloves. Should you don’t have have a spice or 2, it’s okay to omit. There’s plenty flavor occurring here
- onion – Adds a lot amazing umami to the sauce!
- ginger garlic paste – Adds slightly heat and much more umami. You should utilize minced, fresh ginger and garlic as an alternative, if needed.
- hot green chili – Use your chili of alternative, like a Serrano or an Indian green chili.
- cilantro – You’re adding the stems to the Punjabi chole itself and the leaves are certainly one of the garnishes. No waste!
- ground spices – Your next layer of flavors comes from ground coriander, Kashmiri chili or paprika, chole masala or garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and black pepper.
- non-dairy yogurt – To make the chole creamy. Use cashew cream or vegan sour cream as substitute
- fresh tomato – Stirring in fresh tomato right at the top of cooking adds texture and much more umami flavor.
- lime juice – For tang.
💡 Suggestions
- When roasting the entire spices, you’ll want to stir incessantly, so that they don’t burn. Depending in your Easy Pot, this will take a couple of minutes, so just keep cooking until they turn fragrant.
- If the onions begin to dry out during cooking, just add splashes of water. Not only does this add moisture, but it would help them brown evenly.
Find out how to Make Punjabi Chole within the Easy Pot
See the recipe card or Regularly Asked Questions section for stovetop directions!
Soak the chickpeas, in case you haven’t already, then drain and put aside.
Start the Easy Pot on sauté mode, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are very fragrant and alter color. Depending in your Easy Pot, this will take anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes, since the Easy Pot doesn’t heat up that well sometimes and the model etc matters as well
Once the cumin seeds are fragrant, add within the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, onion, and salt. Mix very well, and proceed to cook for 3-4 minutes
![roasting whole spices in the Instant Pot](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2308.jpg?ssl=1)
Add within the ginger garlic paste, green chili, cilantro stems, and the entire ground spices, and blend very well.
![adding the ground spices](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2311.jpg?ssl=1)
![ground spices after mixing in with the whole ones](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2312.jpg?ssl=1)
![adding onions to the pot](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2314.jpg?ssl=1)
![onions after mixing into the spices](https://i0.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2317.jpg?ssl=1)
![adding ginger garlic paste and cilantro stems to the cooked onions](https://i2.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2320.jpg?ssl=1)
Proceed to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, adding splashes of water if the onion mixture is beginning to scorch.
(Alternatively, add ground spices after the entire spices, mix in then add onion and cook 4 mins, then add ginger garlic, cilantro stems, chili and blend and cook one other 4 mins)
Cancel sauté, and add within the drained chickpeas and three cups of water, and blend very well.
![adding chickpeas to the pot](https://i2.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2322.jpg?ssl=1)
![adding dried spices and water to the chickpea mixture](https://i2.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2324.jpg?ssl=1)
Close the lid, and pressure cook on bean mode or high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally for quarter-hour, then do a fast release and open the lid.
![Punjabi chole in the Instant Pot after cooking](https://i2.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2327.jpg?ssl=1)
Mix within the non-dairy yogurt and salt, then start the sauté mode and let the mixture come to a superb boil. Mash a few of the chickpeas on the side of the Easy Pot while that is boiling, and proceed to boil for an additional 2 to three minutes.
![adding nondairy yogurt to Punjabi chole in the Instant Pot](https://i3.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2331.jpg?ssl=1)
![Punjabi chole after stirring in the yogurt](https://i3.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2334.jpg?ssl=1)
Mix within the tomato, then taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, if needed, add a superb dash of the lime juice, as well, then cancel the sauté and let the mixture sit for an additional jiffy for the flavors to meld more.
![adding tomato to the Punjabi chole](https://i3.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2335.jpg?ssl=1)
![adjusting flavors by adding more spices to the Instant Pot after cooking](https://i3.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2337.jpg?ssl=1)
![tomato stirred into the Punjabi chole](https://i2.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2338.jpg?ssl=1)
![Punjabi chole in the Instant Pot after boiling](https://i3.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-2340.jpg?ssl=1)
Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped onion, and a few more lime juice. Serve with flatbread, rice, or naan.
![Punjabi chole in a bowl with rice and cilantro](https://i1.wp.com/www.veganricha.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Punjabi-Chole-4960.jpg?ssl=1)
Regularly Asked Questions
This recipe is of course gluten-free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free, so long as you utilize a nut-free and soy-free non-dairy yogurt.
To cook this in a saucepan, follow all of the instructions listed within the recipe, but cook the onion for an additional 5 minutes or so, until the onions are beginning to get golden, before adding the chickpeas.
Also add in one other 1 to 2 cups of water, after which cover and cook over medium heat for a minimum of 2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender to preference. You would possibly need to add a bit more liquid, whether it is evaporating in between. Check in and stir every 20 minutes or so.