Pindi Chole - Chickpea Curry with Cinnamon, Cardamom and Caramelized Onion Sauce. Instant Pot or Saucepan
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
40 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
226 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian, Vegan, gluten-free
Pindi Chole - Chickpea Curry with Cinnamon, Cardamom and Caramelized Onion Sauce. Instant Pot or Saucepan
Description
Pindi Chole combines dried chickpeas cooked with whole spices such as cinnamon sticks, green and black cardamom, cloves, and bay leaves, enhanced optionally with black tea and kala namak for distinctive flavor notes. The soaking and cooking of chickpeas ensures tenderness while infusing them with spices.
The sauce involves blending garlic, ginger, and onion into a puree, then cooking it with neutral oil until golden and fragrant. Chana masala spice blend, cayenne pepper, amchoor powder, and salt are added to build complexity. The cooked chickpeas and some cooking liquid are incorporated into the sauce and simmered, allowing the flavors to meld.
This curry offers a fragrant, warm, and tangy taste, suitable for serving with rice or flatbreads. The notes include substitution tips for amchoor and methods for preparing chickpeas in different cooking vessels. It yields four servings without inclusion of side dishes.
Ingredients
Chickpeas:
- 1 cup chickpeas dried
- 1 cinnamon stick , 2 inch
- 2 green cardamom partially cracked open
- 1 black cardamom , optional but definitely use it if you can find it
- 2 cloves
- 2 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp kala namak (Indian sulphur Salt)
- 1 tea black tea plain), optional, bag
Sauce:
- 1 tsp neutral cooking oil organic safflower, generic cooking oil
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 onion chopped or minced, medium
- 2 tsp chana masala spice blend or use 1.5 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp coriander powder, or chole masala
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp amchoor powder dry mango powder (adds a sour profile
- 3/4 tsp salt
- onion lemon juice and pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas for atleast an hour or 4 hours. Combine in a pressure cooker(instant Pot) with 2 to 2.5 cups water with the rest of the ingredients under chickpeas. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. See note for saucepan option
- Blend the garlic, ginger, onion with a few tbsp of water to make puree. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add blended onion ginger garlic. and cook stirring occasionally until golden and onion doesnt smell raw (10 to 13 mins). Alternatively add minced garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, then add finely chopped onion and continue to cook until golden-translucent.
- Add the spices and mix in. Cook for half a minute.
- Add cooked chickpeas with the whole spices, salt,and some of the cooking water or fresh water to the saucepan and simmer covered for 10 to 15 minutes. (alternatively, add the onion mixture and salt to the chickpeas(In Instant pot)) . Taste and adjust salt and spice (add more water if needed). Press saute and Simmer for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar to balance if needed.
- Serve garnished with chopped onions, lemon juice, pepper flakes with rice or flatbread or over Potato Cutlets (tikki). Or make a bowl with roasted veggies. You can remove the whole spices before serving. I usually keep them in in the serving container, so they stay with the leftover chickpeas that get stored.
Notes
- For a sour profile substitute amchoor with a pinch of kala namak and 1 tsp or more lemon juice.
- When cooking chickpeas in a saucepan, soak overnight then simmer with spices for 50 minutes or until tender.
- Using canned chickpeas, drain and add with whole spices and reduced water in the sauce; cook for 15 minutes or longer.
- The recipe yields about four servings and does not include rice or side dishes in nutrition.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 226 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 226kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 37g | 12% |
| Protein | 10g | 20% |
| Fat | 4g | 6% |
| Sodium | 450mg | 19% |
| Potassium | 501mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 10g | 40% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 35IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 5.9mg | 7% |
| Calcium | 78mg | 8% |
| Iron | 3.4mg | 19% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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