Cholley (Chickpea Curry)
Cholley, also chole, choley, cholay, white cholay, chana, channa, or chana masala, is a popular and versatile Indian and Pakistani chickpea dish. It is commonly cooked in Northern India (especially Punjab) and Pakistan for breakfast, but it is also regularly served at dinner parties, picnics, wedding receptions and other special events. Cholley features chickpeas, onions, tomatoes and spices; variations include additions such as potato (alu). This dish pairs well with a range of grain-based acco
- Prep
- 32 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 47 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Wash the chickpeas, then soak overnight in water, allowing them to soften somewhat. Make sure that the chickpeas are well-immersed with at least a few inches of water above them, as they will expand significantly while soaking.
Procedure
The next day, drain the water and place the chickpeas in a pressure cooker or large cooking pot. Add the 500 ml fresh water and salt to taste, then cook until the chickpeas are tender (10 minutes at 15 psi in a pressure cooker; if using a regular pot, place the chickpeas in hot water to boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 60–90 minutes).
Procedure
Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and nigella seeds, cooking them briefly until they crackle. Quickly add the onions and garlic, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté until the onions are transparent.
Procedure
Add garam masala, tomato, turmeric, and salt and cook for 1 minute.
Procedure
Add the boiled chickpeas, reduce the heat, and allow the cholley to simmer for around 15 minutes. Check that the gravy has thickened before removing from the heat.
Procedure
Once done, place the cholley in a serving bowl, add your coriander garnish, and serve with rice or bread.
Notes, tips, and variations
Try adding coconut flakes and black pepper to taste.
Photo: Simon Law (sfllaw) from Montréal, QC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
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Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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