Pindi chana recipe | Indian Spiced Chickpeas chole

Today is the last day of year 2012 ie 31st december & hence posting a recipe which was lying in my drafts since weeks pindi chole.Chole is my personal favourite .I just love it .So enjoy & wish all readers A happy new year 2013 In advance

This recipe was in my to do list since long time but some how I  kept on postponing it and ended in making up kadhai or amritsari chole .So today prepared pindi chole .Googled many recipes & made few changes to suit our taste.


Choles Or any form of chanas are both me & hubbys  favorite. Today I am posting this beautiful Pindi Chana which has lot of flavours integrated in it... Pindi chana is one of the famous recipes from Punjab region.  Pindi Chana originates from City Rawalpindi now  in Pakistan hence name pindi chana

 














Difference between chole & Pindi chana
 
Pindi chana doesnt have onions and tomatoes in ingredient list whereas both of them are must in normal chole recipe. It is dry unlike punjabi chole which is in gravy or semi dry form.with pindi chana onions & lemon wedges are served in raw form.

Pindi chana is incomplete without dry mango powder and dry pomegranate seeds powder .
Use  tea bags/tea leaves or gooseberry (amla) for  brown tinge  on chana.

The best part of this Pindi Chana dish is you don’t have to chop anything. Just use dry masalas and you are done.lets move on to recipe

Ingredients:

    Boiling chickpeas
    250 gms white chickpeas/kabuli chana/chole
    3 -4 cloves
    2 cinnamon sticks
    2 black cardamoms/badi elaichi
    2 -3 green cardamoms
    2 bay leaves
    2 tea bag
    1 mace (javitri)
     2 dagadphool ( stone flower/lichen)
    2-3 tsp black salt /normal salt

    pindi chana:
    3 tsp ginger garlic paste or crushed ginger garlic
     1 tbsp shaha jeera  (black cumin)
    1-2 tsp red chili  powder (as per your spice level)
    2 tbsp coriander powder
    1 tsp garam masala powder
    a pinch of asofoetida (hing)
    2-3 tsp chole masala/chana masala
    1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
    1 tbsp chat masala
    1 tsp sugar
   1 tsp fennel (badishep powder)
   1 t/s turmeric
    2-3 tbsp oil
    black salt/kala namak or regular salt

Method:

   
  1.Soak the chickpeas for 8-9 hours or overnight.

   2.Boil the soaked chickpeas with the whole spices, black salt and tea bag/bags in a pressure cooker for6-8 whistles till the chickpeas are cooked completely 




 3.Drain the water from chickpeas. Discard the tea bags and all spices.

   
 4.In a pan heat oil  Once oil is hot add caraway seeds and sugar. Saute for 30 secs. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and keep stirring. 







5.when the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears add all the spice powders. Stir all nicely for a minute.




6.Now add boiled chickpeas to it. Combine all nicely. Add salt for seasoning. add black salt and check for seasoning. adjust the seasoning if required by adding more salt or powdered spices.

 


7  let the chana cook for 5-7 minutes in the masala on a low flame.
Just taste and check if seasoning required. Add more salt Or spices if required. Switch off the gas.

8.Before serving squeeze some lime juice. serve hot with onion rings, green chillies and lemon wedges accompanied with naan, bhatura, puri or even roti.