Punjabi Chole (North Indian Chickpea Curry) Instant pot. stovetop option.

Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a unique and delicious blend of flavors. In this Instant Pot Punjabi chana masala, the beans cook in the Instant Pot in the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread. Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree

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Chole, is a traditional chickpea curry from different northern states of India. Punjabi chole comes from the state of Punjab and has this distinct flavor profile in the sauce. Caramelized onion, whole spices, melt in your mouth chickpeas, this chole feels like home. Once you make this restaurant style chickpea curry, you will make it again and again!

The sauce is made with lots of caramelized onions, black cardamom, ginger, garlic, and a chole masala blend that you can find in an Indian grocery store or online. If you can’t find chole masala, you can use garam masala instead.

The other feature of Punjabi chole is that you cook the chickpeas until they are super soft and melt in your mouth and the color of the chickpeas and the sauce becomes almost the same. That is why the pressure cooking time is much longer than what you would for chickpeas that are just about cooked for using in salads.

This is also applicable for a lot of other beans or legume-based Indian dishes. They are usually cooked for a longer time, like you’d cook a chili, so that everything caramelizes and becomes aromatic, and the beans almost begin to dissolve into the sauce, and all of the flavors of the sauce go into the beans. If you follow my recipe exactly, that’s the texture that you’ll get.

If you prefer a firmer chickpea texture, you can just cook it for about half the cooking time, and it will still work out well.

Instead of chickpeas, you can use other beans in this recipe, because the sauce is where all the flavor is at! 

Chole is the original Chana masala. Chana masala is a simpler chickpea curry and everyone has their own version, not necessarily authentic indian. For the real deal, try this chickpea curry and fall in love with chickpeas all over again.

Why You’ll Love Punjabi Chole

• melt-in-your-mouth chickpeas in a creamy, caramelized sauce thats packed with Indian spices!
• easy to make in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Punjabi Chole (North Indian Chickpea Curry)

5 from 11 votes

By: Vegan Richa

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: African Inspired, Indian, north indian

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Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a unique and delicious blend of flavors. In this Instant Pot Punjabi chole, the beans cook in the Instant Pot in the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread. Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, washed and soaked overnight or for at least five hours, then drained

For the Sauce

• ▢ 2-4 teaspoons oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 black cardamom pods, opened slightly
• ▢ 2 green cardamom pods, opened slightly
• ▢ 2 whole cloves
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup chopped or sliced onion
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste, or use 8 cloves of garlic and 1” of ginger, minced
• ▢ 1 hot green chile, such as serrano or Indian chili, finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems, reserve the leaves for garnish
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1-1.5 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chole masala blend (see notes to make your own) , or use garam masala
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves,, kasuri methi
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2.5-3 cups water

To Add Later

• ▢ 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more if needed
• ▢ 1 large tomato, chopped into 3/4 inch cubes
• ▢ lime juice, to taste
• ▢ chopped cilantro leaves and chopped onion, for garnish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Soak the chickpeas, if you haven’t already, then drain and set aside.
• Start the Instant Pot on sauté mode, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are very fragrant and change color. Depending on your Instant Pot, this can take anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes,
• Once the cumin seeds are fragrant, add in the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, onion, and salt. Mix really well, and continue to cook for 3 minutes
• Add in the ginger garlic paste, green chili, cilantro stems, and all of the ground spices, and mix really well.
• Continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding splashes of water if the onion mixture is starting to scorch.

  (Alternatively, add ground spices after the whole spices, mix in then add onion and cook 4 mins, then add ginger garlic, cilantro stems, chili and mix and cook another 4 mins)
• Cancel sauté, and add in the drained chickpeas and 3 cups of water, and mix really well.
• Close the lid, and pressure cook on bean mode or regular mode on high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick release and open the lid.
• Mix in the non-dairy yogurt and salt, then start the sauté mode and let the mixture come to a good boil. Mash some of the chickpeas on the side of the Instant Pot while this is boiling, and continue to boil for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Mix in the tomato, then taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, if needed, add a good dash of the lime juice, as well, then cancel the sauté and let the mixture sit for another few minutes for the flavors to meld more.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped onion, and some lime juice. Serve with flatbread, rice, or naan.

Video

Notes

To cook this in a saucepan: Follow all the instructions above, but cook the onion for another 5 minutes or so, until the onions are starting to get golden, before adding the chickpeas. Also add in another 1 to 2 cups of water, and then cover and cook over medium heat for at least 2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender to preference. You might have to add a bit more liquid, if it is evaporating in between. Check in and stir every 20 minutes or so.

Variation: add 1/4 teaspoon loose tea leaves with the chickpeas.

This recipe is naturally gluten-free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free, as long as you use a nut-free and soy-free non-dairy yogurt. To make tomato-free, just omit the tomatoes that are added in the end. 

Make your own chole masala blend: Chole masala blend or Indian Chana masala blend is easily available in Indian stores or online. Here’s a quick version to make from scratch. grind below spices and store or use. 

• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds or ground
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, or ground
• 1-2 Black cardamom
• 1 green cardamom
• 8 black peppercorns( use less for less heat)
• 1.5 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mango powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala or 1/8 tsp Indian sulphur salt(kala namak)
• 1 bay leaf, 1 clove or 1/8 tsp ground clove.

Optional add ins: generous pinch of cinnamon, fenugreek leaves, carom seeds.

Canned chickpeas: use 3-3.5 cups canned or cooked chickpeas, add only 1.5 cup water, and pressure cook 10 minutes or saucepan 20-25 mins. 

Oil-free: Dry toast the cumin seeds on a skillet until they change colors then add to instant pot on sauté. Add 3-4 tbsp broth and continue with the rest of the steps 

 

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 519mg, Potassium: 884mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 509IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 141mg, Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• dried chickpeas – Be sure to soak your chickpeas for at least 5 hours, but overnight is even better.
• oil – To toast the spices and sauté the onion.
• whole spices – Your first layer of flavor comes from toasted cumin seeds, bay leaves, black and green cardamom, and whole cloves. If you don’t have have a spice or 2, it is ok to omit. There’s plenty flavor going on here
• onion – Adds so much amazing umami to the sauce!
• ginger garlic paste – Adds a little heat and even more umami. You can use minced, fresh ginger and garlic instead, if needed.
• hot green chili – Use your chili of choice, like a Serrano or an Indian green chili.
• cilantro – You’re adding the stems to the Punjabi chole itself and the leaves are one of the garnishes. No waste!
• ground spices – Your next layer of flavors comes from ground coriander, Kashmiri chili or paprika, chole masala or garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and black pepper.
• non-dairy yogurt – To make the chole creamy. Use cashew cream or vegan sour cream as substitute
• fresh tomato – Stirring in fresh tomato right at the end of cooking adds texture and even more umami flavor.
• lime juice – For tang.

How to Make Punjabi Chole in the Instant Pot

See the recipe card or Frequently Asked Questions section for stovetop directions!

Soak the chickpeas, if you haven’t already, then drain and set aside. 

Start the Instant Pot on sauté mode, then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are very fragrant and change color. Depending on your Instant Pot, this can take anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes, because the Instant Pot doesn’t heat up that well sometimes and the model etc matters as well

Once the cumin seeds are fragrant, add in the black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, onion, and salt. Mix really well, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes

Add in the ginger garlic paste, green chili, cilantro stems, and all of the ground spices, and mix really well. 

Continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, adding splashes of water if the onion mixture is starting to scorch.

(Alternatively, add ground spices after the whole spices, mix in then add onion and cook 4 mins, then add ginger garlic, cilantro stems, chili and mix and cook another 4 mins)

Cancel sauté, and add in the drained chickpeas and 3 cups of water, and mix really well. 

Close the lid, and pressure cook on bean mode or high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then do a quick release and open the lid. 

Mix in the non-dairy yogurt and salt, then start the sauté mode and let the mixture come to a good boil. Mash some of the chickpeas on the side of the Instant Pot while this is boiling, and continue to boil for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

Mix in the tomato, then taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, if needed, add a good dash of the lime juice, as well, then cancel the sauté and let the mixture sit for another few minutes for the flavors to meld more. 

Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped onion, and some more lime juice. Serve with flatbread, rice, or naan.