Chole Masala—A Favorite in Every Indian Household!

1. Soak chickpeas overnight.
2. Spread out a muslin cloth, add tea leaves/powder, secure tightly. Alternatively, you can use a teabag.
3. Pressure cook chickpeas along with the bag of tea powder/leaves. It takes three to four whistles for the chickpeas to cook completely.
4. Once done, remove the tea bag, transfer cooked chickpeas into a colander, and mash a fistful of chole.
5. Dry roast the spices (for the masala) separately, let cool, and grind into a fine powder.
6. Heat oil in a pan over medium flame and sauté onions till translucent.
7. Follow up with ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell of the paste diminishes.
8. Add tomato puree and stir till the raw red of the puree turns slightly deep.
9. Add salt, turmeric powder, mashed chole and cooked chole and stir for about a minute.
10. Add the ground masala and 4 – 5 ounces of water, cover with a lid, and let simmer.

Note: at this point you may also add a tsp of crushed pomegranate seeds/dried mango powder/dried gooseberry powder for extra acidity.

1. Once the water reduces to bind the flavors of masala and turmeric, turn off the heat, and garnish generously with fresh, chopped coriander.
2. Serve with a mix of raw, julienned vegetables (onions, carrots, cabbage), diced cucumber, slit green chilis, and a couple of lemon wedges.

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Trivia:

• Chickpeas come in various colors, including black, green, red and brown!
• Chickpea flour is used as an exfoliate and cleanser in South India!