Amritsari Chole

Description

 * Ethnicity - Punjabi, North Indian
 * Type of Meal - Party, Lunch, Dinner

Ingredients
To Boil
 * 250 grams Chole (Chickpeas)
 * 1 teabag ( this is used to give the black colour)
 * 4-6 Pieces Kali Ilaichi
 * Salt to taste
 * Black Salt 1 teaspoon ( use as desired or mix half of white salt and half of black salt)


 * 3-4 Green Chillies - finely chopped
 * 2-3 Tomatoes - finely chopped
 * 1 piece Ginger - finely chopped
 * 2-3 tsp Green Corriender - finely chopped
 * 1 Onion - finely chopped
 * 1/2 tsp Mangopowder (aamchur)
 * 1 Tbsp Garam Masala
 * Red Chillies to taste
 * 2 tsp dry Corriender
 * 100 gms Table spoon Ghee
 * 2 pieces Bay Leaves

For Dry Spices ( Masala)
 * 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
 * 6 pieces Clove
 * 1 piece Cinnammon
 * 1 tsp Black Pepper
 * 1 tsp. Jeera
 * 1 tsp Coriander seeds
 * 2 tsp Anardana

Directions

 * 1) Soak Chole (Chickpeas) in water to soak overnight.
 * 2) Take a pressure cooker ( or use a normal vessel for boiling) and add Chole, tea bag,sal and Black Elaichi and add lots of water and boil for 10 minutes in the pressure cooker ( 30 minutes in a normal vessel). DO NOT OVERCOOK .If you overcook Chole it will end up like a starchy paste.
 * 3) After cooking discard the teaback.
 * 4) On a Tava or a frypan, roast all dry masala and make a rough powder out of that and keep aside.
 * 5) In a seperate pan heat oil and add bayleaves and then fry the onions till golden brown.
 * 6) Add Garam Masala and tomotoes and fry and then add all the Chole ( keep the water seperately ) in the pan and mix well for 2 minutes.
 * 7) Add the dry Masala which you have already roasted on a pan.
 * 8) Add water in which you boiled the Chole earlier.
 * 9) Let it bring to a boil and then let it simmer for 10 minutes.
 * 10) If the curry looks too thick then add some water.
 * 11) Mash some of the chole by pressing it with a spatula to give it a thick consitency like thick cream.
 * 12) Garnish it with chopped coriander. Green chillies halves.
 * 13) Red onions soaked in vinegar are an excellent accompaniment with Chole.

Serve with Rice, or Bhature.

TIPS : The chole which you eat in the shops have slightly blackish colour. This can be achieved in many ways at home.

While boiling the choles add teabags ( 1 or 2 ) to add the slightly black colour.

Add 2 -3 drops of soya sauce while you finished the cooking( DO NOT add more than this otherwise the taste will be overshadowed with Soya Sauce flavour) While Preparing the dry masala, Roast them till they start getting burnt and turn black.