तरी वाले Chhole

Saturdays are Chhole Chawal days at our home. I don’t know how or when this tradition began but ever since I can remember we have been having Chhole on Saturdays. Most times it is a simple curry with rice, like the one I’m mentioning here, other times we indulge in Chhole Bhature (leavened flatbread), Pindi Chana or the good old Poori Chana. It has become a sort of comfort food over the years & the best part is now I don’t have to think of what to cook at least on Saturdays 😄
There are a variety of ways in which you can cook Black Chhole apart from a curry, it makes for a mind-blowing Hummus! Yes, next time you get hummus cravings, use kaale chhole instead of kabuli chana & be pleasantly surprised 😄
Another popular recipe is Kadala Curry from Kerala that uses a liberal dose of coconut. And who can forget the humble Chana Chaat?! So many ways to include this healthy lentil in your diet 😃
Kaale Chhole are high in fibre content that keep the digestive system healthy & are an excellent source of iron that can prevent anaemia & boost energy levels. This has abundant protein & are also devoid of too many calories ✌️
Are you still gonna wait for more? Go ahead & try this simple yet delicious recipe…it will definitely become a regular feature at your home as well.

Ingredients:
- Black chickpeas (Kaale chhole): 1.5 cups
- Water: 4 cups
- Onions: 2 medium (grated or ground)
- Tomatoes: 2 large (pureèd)
- Ginger: 1.5inch piece (minced)
- Garlic: 5–7 cloves (minced)
- Jeera: 1.5tsp
- Dhaniya powder: 1tbsp
- Amchur powder: 1tsp
- Kasuri methi: 1tbsp
- Turmeric: 1/2tsp
- Red chilli powder: 1tsp
- Oil: 3tbsp or a combination of 1tbsp oil+2tbsp ghee
- Heeng: A big pinch
- Salt to taste

Method:
- Wash & soak the chickpeas overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- Add the soaked chhole to a pressure cooker & add water. Boil the chhole for 5–7 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally & check if they’re boiled well. You should be able to mash them easily with 2 fingertips. Reserve the liquid, please.
- Now we get started on the masala. Put the same pressure cooker on the gas, add the oil/ghee. Now add the heeng. After a few seconds, add jeera & once the seeds begin to crackle, add the onion paste.
- The onions need to be browned very well for this recipe to get it’s beautiful dark brown colour. Once they turn pink, add the turmeric.
- Keep stirring the onions to ensure they don’t stick to the cooker. If you feel they are, add a wee bit of water to prevent burning.
- Now add the minced ginger-garlic and stir well. When the mix browns well, add the tomato purèe & salt to taste.
- Once the tomatoes are done well, they’ll release the oil & that’s the time to add our dry spices. Dip in the dhaniya powder & red chilli powder now. Give everything a good mix for a minute.
- At this time, tip in a ladle full of boiled chhole. Mix mix & mash them with the back of the ladle. This will help thicken the gravy (protip!). Now add the rest of the chhole alongwith the aquafaba (fancy name for cooking water).
- Bring the curry to a boil on high flame. Add the amchur powder & the kasuri methi now. Mix well.
- Let the curry simmer on low flame for about 10 minutes. Check for seasoning & viola…!!!
- Enjoy with steamed or Jeera rice 😋

Notes:
- It is very important to soak the chhole for a minimum of 6 hours. Best is overnight.
- This is a light curry that’s good for everyday cooking, however you can fancify it by making it purely in ghee or by adding some whole spices like bayleaf, cardamom etc.
- Some people add baking soda for the chhole to cook well but if you soak them well enough, that’s not really needed for this recipe.
- This curry pairs best with rice, some kachumber salad, roast papad & green chutney. Yeah ok, you can drool 😅