Chickpeas coated in a thick and flavorful sauce! There are no onions or tomatoes in this recipe, just chickpeas, spices, and oil.
I never met my great-grandmother. But I know how she made her cholay.
This is my great-grandmother’s recipe for Punjabi chikar cholay, as recited and passed down by memory through at least four generations. My great grandmother taught my Nani (maternal grandmother), and my Nani taught my mom. My mom taught me.
I consider this recipe unique because there’s no onion or ginger or garlic or tomatoes IN the recipe (though I do use ginger to garnish). And yet it’s extremely flavorful – in fact, I might go so far to say that it’s one of the most flavorful recipes on my blog.
“Wow! Wow! Wow! This recipe was restaurant level tasty! I ground the pomegranate powder in the Vitamix to avoid the grainy texture. I bow down to thee! It was incredibly delicious 😋 This recipe with bhaturey or puri is pure heaven!”
Amit
What is Chikar Cholay?
Chikar cholay (or kichad chole) is a traditional Punjabi recipe (Indian and Pakistani). This dish gets its name from its consistency; chikar translates to mushy or muddy.
It has a distinct tangy flavor thanks to the dried green mango powder (amchur powder) and dried pomegranate powder (anardana powder). It also calls for roasted cumin powder and earthy black salt (kala namak). All of the spices in this recipe are important to getting the right flavor.
“Thanks Ashley for this recipe. This is how my mom made them when I was a kid. You helped me recreate my childhood memories. And the praises that I have received every time I made them have been countless. Thanks so much and please keep doing what you do. You totally rock at it!”
Surabhi
The anardana powder may be new to you. You can buy this powder at your local Indian grocery store or on amazon; it’s just ground-up dried pomegranate seeds. This recipe calls for roasting the powder, which makes it very dark brown, nearly black in color. This spice, along with the roasted cumin powder, gives the chikar cholay its signature dark color and adds an incredible toasted, slightly fruity, tangy flavor.
Chikar cholay is different from the more popular Chana Masala in that it is only flavored with spices and oil, whereas chana masala calls for onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes. Both recipes call for a different blend of spices.
Some thicken this muddy chole with masoor dal (red lentils), chana dal, or with potatoes. My family’s recipe doesn’t call for any of those ingredients. We mash the chickpeas a bit, and it works great. The sauce thickens on its own after a few minutes, once the spices really soak in the oil.
Wait! What’s the white foamy stuff on my chickpeas?
After you pressure cook the chickpeas, you may open the lid to find white frothy stuff on top of the beans. Don’t freak out.
If you see foam on your chickpeas, it’s just aquafaba. Many vegan baked goods actually use this stuff because it’s known to be a good substitute for egg whites. You can scoop it out or keep it on – I don’t bother removing it.
Here’s how to make this simple recipe:
The first step is to cook the chickpeas:
While they’re cooking, dry roast the anardana powder on the stovetop and then mix it with the other spices. If you don’t already have roasted cumin powder on hand, now is a good time to make this as well.
Once the chickpeas are done, spread the spices in a layer overtop. Then heat oil and pour it on top of the spices. This cooks the spices and helps bring out their flavor.
Mix it all up, mashing a few chickpeas along the way, and watch as the oil soaks up the sauce and thickens. Amazing!
Some food and family history:
My great-grandmother was born and raised in Sialkot, Punjab, which was part of India until the Partition of 1947, that’s when the British split India (and the state of Punjab) into two: India and Pakistan. That’s why this Punjabi chikar cholay is both an Indian and a Pakistani dish.
My great-grandma was apparently a good cook and also a traditional cook. She’d cook family meals over firewood and coal. She’d churn cream into butter (makhan) in a clay pot using a wooden stick (madani), then boil it into ghee.
She also heavily relied on home remedies, she’d cook and eat adrak lasan (ginger garlic) sabzi, which she deemed helpful for joint pain, and she taught my mom how to make this lemon pickle to help with digestion (for the record, she was definitely not in the medical field).
I sort of feel like she and I are similar in some ways – I also enjoy cooking, and I also often attempt to feed my (skeptical) family members (hi, husband) recipes that I believe will help with their ailments (like turmeric gummies and besan ka sheera).
I really wonder what she’d think of me adapting one of her traditional recipes with my instant pot. I want to think she’d think it was cool.
I wish I could share a photo of her with you, but I’ve never seen one myself. In fact, even my mom only has one photo from her own childhood in India (which is hard for me to believe as I just upgraded cloud storage because I can’t stop taking photos of my kids… man, times are different).
I didn’t know my great-grandma but cooking this dish makes me feel a little more connected to her and my family. Hopefully, when you make this recipe, you’ll feel a bit more connected to me and any others enjoying this same dish. I think that’s one of the greatest things about food – that it connects us all.
You can serve this dish with an Indian flatbread (naan, roti, poori, bhatura). This dish has a thick sauce, which is how my family likes it, but feel free to add more water at the end if you prefer a thinner curry. Let me know what you think of this dish!
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight
- 2 cups water
Spices
- 2 tablespoons anardana powder pomegranate seed powder, roasted* (see directions)
- 1 Indian bay leaf tej patta
- 2 tablespoons amchoor powder
- 2 tablespoons coriander powder
- 2 tablespoons roasted cumin powder* see notes
- 2 teaspoons paprika or Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kala namak (black salt) kala namak
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ cup neutral oil
Garnish:
- 2 small Indian green chilies slit in half
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1- inch ginger julienned (cut into thin strips)
Instructions
- Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with 2 inches of cold water. The chickpeas will absorb water and expand in size, so make sure to use a large bowl. Drain and rinse the beans.
- Add the rinsed chickpeas and 2 cups of water to the instant pot and cook for 35 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- While waiting for the pressure to release, go ahead and roast the pomegranate powder by dry roasting it in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until very dark brown (nearly black). Once it cools down, you can grind again for a finer texture if you'd like.
- Add this roasted pomegranate powder to a bowl along with the rest of the spices and mix well.
- Open the lid and use a spoon to sprinkle the spices on top of the chickpeas (do not mix spices with chickpeas yet! Leave spices in a layer on top of the chickpeas).
- Heat ½ cup of oil on the stovetop and once hot, pour the oil over the spices on top of the chickpeas.
- Mix well, mashing a few chickpeas with a spoon as you mix to help thicken the sauce. The sauce will thicken significantly after a few minutes.
- Top with small Indian green chilies, cilantro, and julienned ginger.
Video
Notes
- If you can only find dried pomegranate seeds, I suggest grinding them, then roasting, and then grinding again for a finer texture.
Nim says
This is so beautiful, i loved reading the story of your Nani. Im from Lahore and I have the same connection to my nani. My husband is not Indian/Pakistani and it’s become his favorite dish of all time. It used to be my dad’s favorite too! Such a great recipe and so rare to find (and explain to non-Punjabis haha). Love your blog!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Nim, thank you so much for the kind words 🙂 I’m glad to hear that it’s a favorite amongst your family members!
Liz says
My husband is looking forward to me making this dish for him. He has a hard time eating tomatoes, onions and garlic. Needless to say most of what he eats is quite bland and he craves flavor!
Can you suggest something to accompany this dish? Should I also prepare some rice?
Thank you for sharing!
Liz says
Ah, never mind – I just saw your suggestion for Indian flatbread. Thanks!
Chris says
I m a newbie and tried this. I made some mistakes and it still came out really good.
I have some questions
– what is a natural oil that people use. I used the canola oil and I have some after taste.
– if I make half the serving size does the high pressure time cooking also gets halved? Is it true for all the recipes cooked on high pressure?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Chris, glad you liked it! I use avocado oil for any recipes that call for neutral oil. I haven’t tried making half the recipe, but the cook time would remain the same. Typically when you half or double a recipe, the Instant Pot adjusts the time it takes to reach pressure but the actual cook time itself remains the same. I’ve found that normally most recipes are fine to halve or double outside of desserts but again, I only say for sure if I’ve tried myself which for this recipe, I haven’t.
Judy says
Sounds delicious… Is there any way this can be made using Canned Chickpeas ?
Surabhi says
Thanks Ashley for this recipe. This is how my mom them when I was a kid. You helped me recreate my childhood memories. And the praises that I have received every time I made them have been countless.
Thanks so much and please keep doing what you do. You totally rock at it!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Surabhi, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂 I appreciate the kind words!
a fan says
I have to admit I’m such a hater of most people trying to get this dish right. even restaurants, some of the “authentic” punjabi ones have let me down on this one. but girl, let me tell you that this recipe was 100% on point! maybe this is just the way I am used to it, but it is absolutely delicious! and to take what had taken a couple hours before down to mere minutes? sorcery!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome to hear – I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hillary says
This recipe is amazing and unbelievably fast to put together. Thank you so much for it! Do you think this would freeze well in individual sized portions or would that be a bad idea since there isn’t really any sauce? Thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hillary, I’m so glad to hear that you like this so much! And yes, I think it’ll freeze well – I freeze plain chickpeas all the time, so I’m sure this will be fine too. You can always add a bit of water when defrosting if you think it needs it!
Jab says
HI Ashley, love your recipes. They are always ON POINT! For this recipe, can I add chicken? If yes, when abouts would I do so?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you! I haven’t tried this with chicken so I’m really not sure – if you experiment, please let me know how it goes!
Amit says
Wow! Wow! Wow! This recipe was restaurant level tasty! I ground the pomegranate powder in the Vitamix to avoid the grainy texture. I bow down to thee! It was incredibly delicious 😋
This recipe with bhaturey or puri is pure heaven!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Amit, thank you!! I’m so glad you liked this recipe so much! Also, great idea about grinding the powder in the vitamix – thank you for sharing 🙂
Poonam says
Very nice recipe, looking forward to your ginger garlic recipe and yes, very nice write up.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Poonam!
Mike says
This is the first one of your recipes that has not turned out great. The sauce came out gritty, with an almost sandy texture. (A big spoonful of Greek yogurt makes it more palatable, but only barely.) Did I do something wrong? I used 1/3 cup of oil because 1/2 cup seemed excessive.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Mike, anardana powder can be a bit gritty, so it may just be that you don’t like the texture. If you decide to make it again, you can try grinding the powder so that it is finer, but I’m not sure you can do anything about it after the fact. You can try heating up oil separately and stirring it in – the oil will help absorb some of the spices, so that may help to thin out any grittiness. You can also try adding a bit of water. Please let me know if any of these things help.
Vimmi Borkar says
My mom makes very similar chole but not in IP. I was going through the recipe and snd will of course try it. Love all your recipes. But the write up touched my heart. My grandparents from both sides were born in Lahore. They moved to Ambala after partition. And my Naniji and mom made the garlic ginger sabji with badaam and malai and I loved it. Been ages since I ate.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Vimmi, thank you for leaving this comment – this was so nice to read 🙂 I’m glad you liked the post so much – maybe one day I’ll try my hand at the garlic ginger sabzi. 🙂
Poonam says
Vimmie please share garlic, ginger, badam and malai subzi recipe. These age-old traditional recipes. They will come out magical and have medicinal values
Reed says
This looks unique and flavorful. Next time I visit my local spice shop I’ll get some of these ingredients and give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing this and your family story Ashley.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Reed 🙂 I hope you enjoy it – let me know what you think if you give it a try!
Fatima says
My family is from Sialkot too. I’m looking forward to trying this 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Fatima! Let me know what you think when you try it 🙂
Alex says
Made this tonight, and my only regret is I didn’t make more. Great, unusual flavors. Thanks a ton!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Alex, that’s awesome! Glad it turned out well for you 🙂
SKN says
Super recipe! Loved this so much! Extremely easy, ready in minutes (after boiling chole) and so very tasty! This dish is a bowlful of this soulful.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
That’s so great to hear that! Glad you like the chikar cholay so much 🙂
Mary Spensley says
I’ve been trying to make this for twenty years, and had no idea how different it is from Chana masala. I’m so glad I came across your site. Thank you! Finally, I’m tasting what I’ve been trying to make all these years.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Mary, that’s wonderful to hear! I’m so glad you found what you’ve been looking for! 🙂
Nily says
What is the cook time and water for 1 cup of soaked chickpeas?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Nily, if you plan to halve this recipe, I would still keep the cook time the same. Let me know how it goes!
Neha says
I made this for a quick working weekday lunch .. unbelievable how much flavor is packed into this considering no onion garlic or tomatoes.
My Heart Beets says
Neha, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Neil says
I made this last night, and really.enjoyed it. I didn’t think I would given the lack of onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic. But it was chatpata and delicious. I perhaps will pressure cook the channas a bit longer to make them more mushy. Thank you.
My Heart Beets says
Neil, glad you tried and liked it! Thanks for sharing how this turned out for you 🙂
Elyse says
This was phenomenal! We really enjoyed it, and made delicious puffs with the leftovers!
My Heart Beets says
Elyse, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Devayani says
Super easy to make, no mess, no fuss and if you follow the instructions to the T – it makes for a lovely dish packed with flavor. Perfect for a large gathering or potluck!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Devayani, happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much you liked this dish 🙂
Deepak Jolly says
Ashley, you forgot to mention if we are supposed to add green or black cardamom. I know the response might be delayed so going with green for now but if my memory of India serves me right it perhaps was black. Too late anyways. Thanks Ashley.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Deepak, thanks for reaching out! You’ll want to use ground green cardamom powder for this recipe so I’m glad you went with that. I do use whole black cardamom in my chana masala recipe recipe. Hope you like this one!
Chitra says
Hi Ashley
I really enjoyed reading your family history. Recipes passed down through generations are no less than heirlooms. Your great grandma and your whole family must be so proud! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll let you know when I’ll make it.
My Heart Beets says
Thank you, Chitra! I’m so glad you liked the post – hope you enjoy the recipe just as much 🙂
Apartment Datt says
I have store bought dried anar Dana not the powder . These seeds are bit sticky . How do I use these for the above recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Hi, hmm I guess dried pomegranate seeds can be a bit sticky. You should be able to grind them into powder and then roast it. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Bala Cherla says
Came out just right! Loved the tanginess. Thank you for the story on this Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Bala! I’m so glad you liked the recipe and the story 🙂
Mary says
Thanks for the recipe, pls clarify as I have a few qns.
Is 2 cup water enough to cook 2 cup Channa.
Is it okay to dry roast all the spices after roasting the pomegranate powder?
Do we keep the pot on sauté mode when we add the spices followed by hot oil, if so how long?
If not, how will it thicken up?
Thanks again Ashley.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mary, yes it’s enough to cook soaked chana 🙂 You only need to dry roast the pomegranate powder and roasted cumin powder, the rest of the spices will cook when you pour hot oil on top of them. No, you don’t need to use sauté mode when adding the oil – I wouldn’t do that as it may dry up the water in the pot.
Jenita says
I made this last night!! Delicious and so easy to make. All my vegetarian friends loved it!!!
My Heart Beets says
Jenita, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how the cholay turned out for you and your friends 🙂
Vinita says
Hi Ashley, thank you so much for posting all these amazing recipes that let us pretend to be super chefs while using the uber convenient IP! I tried the chikar chole today and my husband soaked too much chickpeas. I doubled the spices and oil as a result. I also cooked the chickpeas for 55 minutes instead of the recommended 35. The doubled up recipe was still delicious but too spicy. So, I think I’ll hold off on doubling up the Kashmiri chili powder next time.
Thanks so much for another awesome recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Vinita, I’m so glad it turned out well! 🙂
Manisha says
If using 1 cup dried chickpeas, do we still cook for 35 mins or reduce the time ?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Manisha, if you want to halve the recipe, keep the cook time the same 🙂
Kay says
Hi Ashley, interesting dish, but this seems like a lot of oil. Would this taste good with 1/4 cup of oil?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Kay, I actually tried this with 1/4 cup of oil during recipe testing and yes, it’s still good! I just preferred the 1/2 cup version that I shared here as I think the dish needed a bit more oil to better toast all of the spices. Feel free to use less though!
JS says
Amazing recipe! Very reminiscent of street side chole in Delhi. I think it would be great with bhatura. I used 1/3 cup of oil and it didn’t seem oily at all. I also let it rest overnight so that the chole could absorb the flavors.
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that you like it! Thanks for sharing about the oil 🙂
Jessica P Jocson says
what if you don’t have time to soak the chickpeas over night? Can you put them dry with water into the instant pot for about 30-40min? then would you have to start the recipe from there?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jessica, you can cook dried chickpeas first – I would suggest following this method and then drain the chickpeas. Add the spices and oil and then add more water at the end while stirring. Let me know how this goes if you try!
Madhur says
Made them today with laccha parantha..came out yummy. Thanks!!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Madhur, that’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how this dish turned out for you 🙂
Nita says
I am pretty sure you are the reincarnation of your great grandma…😃 Very unique take on chole… Will try very soon!
My Heart Beets says
Haha, let me know what you think when you try it, Nita! 🙂
Parul Kaushal says
Can I add melted butter instead of oil?
My Heart Beets says
Parul, I’m sure butter will be amazing! Let me know how it goes 🙂
NEHA says
Can you make this with canned chickpeas?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Neha, I’m sure that’ll be fine – you’ll likely need to add a bit of water to the rinsed canned chickpeas along with the spices and oil.
Jasmine says
Would you change the time for pressure cooking? The canned chickpeas should cook faster? How much more water would you need to add? Thanks Ashley, looking forward to giving this a try.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jasmine, canned chickpeas are already cooked so you don’t even have to cook them – I’d just rinse them well, pour them into a large bowl/pot, sprinkle spices, and then pour hot oil overtop. Add some water as needed to thin out the sauce. Let me know how it goes if you try it this way 🙂
Sadhana says
Made this with canned chickpeas (2 cans). I like my chickpeas a bit softer, so put them in the IP with one cup water, 1 min pressure, then quick release. Added the spices and oil, and let sit, stirring every so often to thicken. Sooooo good!!
My Heart Beets says
Sadhana, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out with canned chickpeas 🙂
Prasad says
Hi Ashley, it surely is a great one that I should try sooner. 1 question about the buna cheera powder (roasted cumin powder) : do I get the actual “roasted-cumin powder” from store, or can I dry-roast cumin at home and grind/blend in a mixer ?
Thanks !
Prasad
My Heart Beets says
Hi Prasad, I would suggest making the roasted cumin powder yourself – here’s how I make it: https://myheartbeets.com/roasted-cumin-powder-bhuna-jeera-powder/ Let me know what you think if you try this!
Kirtida shah says
I like the recipe, without tomato.
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that, Kirtida!
Dal says
This post was a pleasure to read. You’re right, food really does connect us to others, past and present. Can’t wait to try this one!
My Heart Beets says
Thank you 🙂