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.

Ingredients

• 250 g dried chickpeas
• 500 ml water for cooking
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (optional)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tsp turmeric
• Fresh coriander leaves (as a garnish)

Steps

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. Add garam masala, tomato, turmeric, and salt and cook for 1 minute.
5. 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.
6. Once done, place the cholley in a serving bowl, add your coriander garnish, and serve with rice or bread.

More recipes with chickpeas, coriander, onion, garlic, garam masala, tomatoes, turmeric or cilantro

Adapted from “Cholley (Chickpea Curry)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for this site; this page's recipe text is shared under the same license.