Pindi Choley | Easy Punjabi Style Chole Masala Recipe | It is a wholesome and flavourful Indian spicy veg curry recipe made with boiled chickpeas simmered in an onion-tomato based gravy and a combination of spices.

About Punjabi Style Choley Masala

Punjabi Style Choley Masala or Pindi Choley Masala is a gluten-free, vegan, diabetic-friendly, protein-rich curry. It is made with white chana or Kabuli chana and a combination of Indian spices.

There are various ways of making this chickpea curry or chole masala recipes like simple curry with onion and tomato gravy or spicy masala curry with little dark coloured gravy with or without onion.

Chole masala or pindi choley has a unique dark colour and tangy taste. This dark blackish colour comes with the addition of a tea bag or dry amla pieces while boiling.

My other veg curry recipes you would like to try

Easy And Healthy Chili Paneer With Soya Sauce

Dry Masala Tinda Veg | One Pot Quick Tinda veg

Bharwa Karela | Tangy and Spicy Stuffed Bitter Gourd

Easy and Delicious Kadhai Paneer

Bharwa Masala Bhindi | Stuffed Masala Bhindi

Pindi chole masala is also known as masala chole and very famous in Punjab state and north India. Choley masala is mainly served with kulcha. Choley masala also goes well with any Indian bread, be it a Poori, Naan, chapatti or even plain rice or Jeera rice.

Main Ingredients required to make pindi choley masala at home

Chole masala is an easy recipe to make at home and tastes delicious. The main ingredients list is below:

White chana (chickpeas or garbanzo) – is the main ingredient that has a nutty taste and creamy texture. It is a plant-based rich source of protein for vegetarians.

Bay leaf (Tej Patta)-it is a part of Indian spices and gives an aromatic flavour. It should be removed from the dish before eating as it is hard to digest.

Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini)– loaded with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties improves gut health and gives a nice flavour to the dish.

Clove (Laung) – aromatic flower buds used for flavouring dishes.

Black cardamom( Badi ilaichi) – gives a smokey flavour and helps in relieving acidity and indigestion.

Dry amla pieces – to give a nice dark colour to the chickpeas. If you don’t have dry amla try using a tea bag or dried pomegranate peels.

Onion and tomato – is the base of most Indian curries that provides a deep flavour to choley masala.

Cumin seeds – helps in proper digestion.

Green chilli – for spiciness, you can increase or decrease the quantity.

Chana masala powder – Provides a nice tangy flavour to the choley masala. You can also replace it with a mixture of amchoor and dried pomegranate seeds or a paste of tamarind (imli) can also be used.

Refined oil – to prepare a tadka and make the dish rich in flavour.

This Pindi choley masala recipe is made with onion-tomato based gravy which gives it a thickness as well as flavour. Some people do not like to add onion and garlic to their food you can skip these ingredients. Even without onion and garlic, it tastes delicious.

Video recipe of Punjabi Style Choley Masala

What other ways of using chickpea

Chickpea is also called Kabuli chana, Garbanzo peas or Choley chana. It is a very versatile food item and used in the making of hummus, falafel, chat, chole Tikki, salad, sprouts etc. Chole can also be eaten as a snack just boil it and add some spice and little raw onion and tomato. It is a perfect protein-loaded chat for the evening time.

You can prepare chickpeas in various forms like choley masala, Punjabi chole, chana masala, choley, Pindi chana etc. Here, I am sharing the Pindi choley masala recipe.

Masala choley is easy to make and people love it so much. It is a very popular dish both as street food or even in restaurants. This curry is also a good option for parties and mostly served with naan, kulcha or bhatura / poori or even with jeera rice.

Health benefits of eating Chickpea or Kabuli Chana

• It is a light beige coloured small bean that looks like a wrinkled hazelnut. Chickpeas are nutty in taste, rich in protein and a very versatile food item.
• High in fibre that keeps you full for a longer time and aids in weight loss.
• It is a low glycemic food, rich in magnesium that helps in reducing the blood sugar spikes in diabetics people.
• Chickpeas is a good source of folate and very helpful in the production of red blood cells. It’s a wonder food for pregnant women.
• It also contains both soluble and insoluble fibres that lowers bad cholesterol and reduces the chances of heart disease.

Step by step preparation of Punjabi Style Choley Masala / Spicy Masala Chole Recipe / Pindi Choley Masala

Boiling of chickpeas

1 . Wash chickpeas few times with clean water and soak them for 7-8 hours or best overnight.

2. After soaking, wash them again with water and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add dry amla pieces, tej patta, dalchini, Badi ilaichi and laung. Also, add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt that helps in faster cooking. Add enough water.

3. Put the pressure cooker on medium flame, once a whistle has gone, lower the flame to low setting and cook it for about 15-20 minutes. Then switch off the flame.

4. Wait till the pressure is released, open the lid and check if chickpea becomes soft and cooked well. Just take a piece of boiled Chola and press it between your finger if soft you are good to go for the next step. Otherwise, again pressure cook for 3-4 minutes and then follow the next steps.

5. Remove dry amla pieces, tej patta, dalchini stick and put the boiled choley aside.

Cooking of chole masala

6. In a frying pan, heat oil, add jeera. Wait till it to crackle, add whole green chillies, chopped onion, sauté it till it gets a nice light brown colour. Add garlic paste and sauté it tills it raw smell gone.

7. Now add tomato puree and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Add salt, coriander powder, ginger powder and red chilli powder. Cover the pan and cook it till the gravy starts leaving oil. Now mix boiled chole in it and again transfer to the pressure cooker.

8. Cover the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 3-4 minutes on a low flame. Once the pressure is released, open the lid.

9. Add chana masala and mix it by pressing chickpeas lightly. It makes the gravy thick and well infused with the flavours in it.

10. Punjabi style choley masala is ready to serve. Transfer into a serving bowl garnish with coriander leaves, onion rings, lemon piece and whole green chillies.  ENJOY! with poori, paratha or rice.

Serving suggestion

Pindi choley masala tastes best with kulcha, can also be pair with any Indian flatbread like poori, paratha, chapatti or even with rice. A glass of mint masala lassi or mango lassi counters the spiciness of choley masala.

You may also like

Winter special methi coconut ladoo ( no bitterness, no sugar)

Methi cauliflower stuffed paratha |healthy paratha recipe

Carrot paneer ladoo | calcium and protein rich sweet recipe

Besan chilla stuffed with paneer and veggies

Til and dry fruits chikki with jaggery

Easy whole wheat tawa naan recipe (without yeast)

Easy tomato carrot soup recipe

Carrot orange cake | healthy cake recipe

Tips and tricks

1. For a nice dark colour of chickpeas add 1-2 tea bags or 4-5 pieces of dry amla or 1-2 dried peel of pomegranate while boiling.
2. Pressure cook them on a low medium flame for about 15-20 minutes so that they become soft and well cooked. To cook them fast add a pinch of baking soda.
3. I have added chana masala to give them a tangy flavour can also use dry mango powder(amchoor) or dried anardana powder instead.
4. After the chickpeas are cooked, slightly mash them which helps in making a thick gravy. Also after cooling down chole masala becomes a little dry. some people also add chana dal while boiling to make the gravy thick, but it is not necessary.

Recipe card

My latest video

Try these spicy pindi choley masala recipe, take a picture and tag it #healthicallykitchen on Instagram. Or, save it for later on Pinterest. I love to see them. Happy cooking!

If you like this recipe, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family, and give us a star rating.